New Year Resolutions

Ready to ring in 2014 with dramatic changes? Big changes don’t happen quickly, so have a plan to reach your goal. Start small by taking a single step in the right direction. Before you know it, you’ll gather a string of little success stories that add up to huge progress. Here are a few starter ideas for common New Year’s resolutions.

Want to shed a few pounds?

Good nutrition will take you further than exercise alone. Tackle your weight loss objective by recording the foods you eat. Free websites and apps make it easy and cheap to track a daily food diary and calculate your calorie intake. Try SparkPeople or MyFitnessPal. Once it’s there in black and white, you can see where you might be going overboard. Use that knowledge to cut back and make healthy substitutions.

Trying to fix your finances?

Paying off debt can pave your way to a richer future. Target a small amount to pay off first. Your motivation will get a boost from that first victory, and your monthly budget gets a little extra wiggle room. To see your progress multiply rapidly, dedicate the newly available funds to cutting down more debt.

Would going back to school give your career a boost?

Check out nearby schools for non-credit and community education classes. You can gain useful skills for work without investing a lot of money. Then if you take the plunge to pursue a degree or a certificate, you’ll know what it takes to succeed in the classroom.

Breaking bad habits and learning positive habits can be tough, so it’s not surprising that many of us toss out our New Year’s resolutions before the end of January. Take the first step, and don’t be afraid to begin again if you get off track. Start small to make your resolutions stick this year.