How will you be spending New Year's Eve?

For some, it's a night of glittering parties and overindulging. Others prefer to have a quiet night at home. There's a good chance you make vague promises to yourself each year, no matter how you spend your night. After all, about 38.5% of US adults resolve to make New Year's resolutions each year.

Whether it's exercising more often, eating less, learning a new language, or writing that book, ambition and aspiration are all on the list. Then comes February, and the resolutions are often forgotten, like deflated party balloons. In fact, only 9% of Americans who make resolutions actually stick to them. Also, according to research, 23% of people give up their resolutions within the first week, and 43% by the end of January.

But this year — how about we break the cycle? How? Using a simple yet powerful tool — we all possess our Calendar.

Getting the most out of the calendar starts with ditching vague pronouncements. It has been proven that setting specific and challenging goals leads to higher performance 90% of the time when people follow these two principles. After all, a specific, challenging goal will motivate you to achieve it more effectively.

Rather than saying, "Get healthy," define what that means to you. Is it a daily walk? What about weekly yoga sessions? Would you like to cook more meals at home? Always remember: Specificity is key.

Next, break down your concrete goals into bite-size, actionable chunks.

Let's say you want to run a 5K. During the week, scheduled training runs gradually, increasing in distance and intensity. Are you interested in learning French? Every day, schedule practice sessions that focus on vocabulary and grammar.

Remember, Rome was not built in a day, and your dreams won't come true overnight.........

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