Get a head start on those New Year's Resolutions!

I recently photographed this little cutie who happens to be the cover baby for the January issue of a local magazine. Her parents run a local gym, which means that while my busy time of the year is winding up - theirs is going to start in a week or two! January is the time for resolutions, a time for fresh starts. It's the perfect time to begin working on new goals. But so many of those goals get set aside by...well, by January 15! It's hard to change who we are, especially when we don't yet know exactly who the new person is going to look like.

Here are some helpful hints to keeping those New Year's Resolutions and accomplishing those goals.

1. Make your goal realistic and measurable. Don't just say "I'm going to become a size 0 supermodel." That's unrealistic (although measurable!). Start with a small goal - "I'm going to exercise 3 times a week for 30 minutes each time." Or maybe "I'm going to lose 5 pounds by cutting back the sweets I eat." Both of those are doable, and certainly measurable.
2. Give yourself something to look forward to - what will you do when you reach your goal? Make it something you really want! In the meantime, set mini-goals with smaller rewards along the way.
3. Share your goal with someone else. This gives you accountability. It's harder to go back on a promise when someone else knows you made the promise! You don't have to tell everyone about your goal, but let one or two close friends or family members know. It's harder to look them in the eye if you've been slacking off! And sometimes they can encourage you.
4. Look back and enjoy your successes. Maybe your goal is taking longer than you thought. Maybe it feels like you're spinning your wheels. But chances are, you have made progress. Before my youngest child was born, I lost 49 pounds over a period of two years. I would NEVER have guessed it would take that long. Sometimes it felt like I'd never get to the end of my quest to lose 50 pounds (and I didn't - thanks, Grace!). But I knew that even if I never got to 50 pounds, losing 10 - and then 20 - and 30 - and 40 - and 49 pounds - those were all accomplishments in their own right.