Resolutions: Making the change easier

Six secrets to keeping your resolutions

1. Be 100 per cent committed to making the change. No exceptions. You will succeed! Magic seems to occur when commitment is made.

2. Make a change in your lifestyle that supports the change you wish to make (e.g. don't buy junk to bring home if you wish to lose weight and park at the far end of the parking lot to encourage walking).

3. Focus on the benefits of being a non-smoker (i.e. save money, feel healthier, sleep better, longer life, smell better) and the hassles of smoking (i.e. the cost, smell, rejection, illness, etc.). This can be applied to any habit.

4. If you find that you get "blocked" in some fashion, find a solution. Keep moving forward and do not give up.

5. Confucius said, "A journey of a thousand leagues begins with a single step." Take small steps. Start today. Then praise and reward yourself for each step along the way. Nothing succeeds like success, so celebrate each small success until complete success is obtained.

6. Make sure that the change you wish to make is personal to you and then focus on the benefits you will receive in making the change. Enlist others to support you, to cheer you on in tough times. However, more than anything, be your own best cheerleader and coach.