For a lot of people, the New Years’ Resolution is, honestly, quite a frivolous thing. It’s a promise to do something that many people are well aware that they’re not going to keep. However, for some of us, it’s an opportunity to commit to a serious change that we might be well in need of. If you’re making a serious commitment, whether it’s to put your health first, to take care of your head, or to stop harmful behaviors, then there are ways that you can make sure that you stick to those resolutions. Here are a few methods.

Develop the right mindset

One of the problems is that people expect to make big changes to their life and to their bodies without first addressing where the change needs to happen: in their minds. It’s not enough to say “I will do it,” you need to build the mindset that can help you change your life. For instance, instead of having a fixed mindset that pre-determines what you are and what you can do, you can work on developing a growth mindset that acknowledges that you can become anything that you work towards.

Break down into achievable steps

Shifting your mindset over time is going to help, of course, but you still need to make sure that you’re able to achieve your goals. As such, rather than having one lofty goal that you nebulously work towards, try and be SMART about it. Breaking long term goals into SMART objectives helps you lay out the exact steps on your way to the finishing line and to make sure that each of them can be achieved on the way. For instance, when it comes to a fitness or body goal, then you want to make sure that you’re laying the gradual path towards the level of fitness you want, rather than just aiming for a far-off, vague sense of fitness.

Know when you need help

While it is important to recognize that you can do anything and you can achieve the changes to your body, mind, and habits that you want, it’s also vital to recognize that your chances of success drastically increase when you find the right help. This might include a personal trainer for fitness goals, a counselor to help you get your mental health back on track, or a rehab center if you’re trying to fight an addiction. Getting help is not a sign of weakness, it’s arming yourself with the tools that you need to get better, putting aside any notions of personal weakness to make sure that you’re gaining support from those who are most qualified to help you reach your goals.

Build the discipline that you need

The right mindset, motivation, and plan to meet your goals are going to be vital. However, from there, you need to make sure that you have the sticking power. Whether it’s after having gone cold turkey and focusing on long-term recovery, or getting up to exercise two weeks after your initial dedication, we can begin to flag in our motivation and this is where discipline comes to play. There are habits you can take advantage of to help you build that discipline but a lot of people have found success using hypnotherapy. Rather than being some kind of magic trick, hypnotherapy can help you adjust your day-to-day behaviors to better match your genuine goals, and a lot of people find it effective, in particular, for making health and lifestyle changes.

Keep renewing your motivation

One of the big problems of New Years’ Resolutions is that the further we get away from the turn of the year, the less prevalent that promise is in our minds. You’re going to feel motivated and confident when you first make that promise, but time goes on, life gets in the way, and other things get on your mind. If you slip off the path for a moment, that’s far from a disaster. Take the time to remind yourself why you are doing what you’re doing. Consider writing a new dedication to yourself, outlining what you’re doing, why you’re doing, and what you have to do to achieve your goal, and post this on your wall. If you ever feel sick of looking at it or feel like it’s not relevant, write a new one.

Of course, above all, commitment is going to be required. Making the plans above is one thing, but you need to start taking steps right now to make them happen. Don’t wait for the New Year, get started early.