When I ask people about their New Years Resolutions, I always receive the same answers.

-       To get a 3.8 GPA.

-       To lose 15 pounds.

-       To become rich.

-       To get a job.

There are two faults with these types of resolutions. The first is that these resolutions are too broad, and the second is that they are too materialistic. This combination encourages the human mind to not even attempt a shot at completing the resolutions as they become deemed ”unattainable”.

It is imperative that you stop making such broad resolutions. Each of these resolutions are attainable, but everything worth fighting for is only ever achieved through hard work. This is one of the problems with the New Years Resolution, it is something you wish for without planning out thus you always end up falling short upon realization that some effort is actually going to have to be implemented in order to achieve this goal.

In order to achieve your New Years Resolutions there are a few steps that one must plan out.

1. Start now, Start small.

Instead of procrastinating, it is important that you put your foot in the door and begin the process immediately. This is decidedly impossible to do when your goal is so broad and huge, it is of no wonder that your goal to ‘’lose 15 pounds’’ seems to be out of your reach. Instead focus your energies on…

2. Following a system.

In order to achieve your goal to get that 3.8 GPA you need to set, and follow a schedule. Set aside a specific two hour gap everyday for when you are going to be doing nothing but focusing on your studies and Acing your assignments.

3. Break down the steps to the task.

Nobody says ‘’OK, this year I’m going to get a job,’’ and then gets there without having a plan. In order to get a job, one has to do a very specific job search, apply, get through the interviews and network. Even then, it is still very hard to land your perfect job without doing your research and preparing in advance for the job.

4. Avoid setting overly ambitious goals

Make sure that you are realistic about setting your goals. If today you are making no money and by the end of the year you want to be making $200,000/year, I would scoff in your face. This is very hard to do even if you are an extremely gifted individual and are following the rules above. Instead make sure that your goal is challenging but obtainable, then go ahead and create a plan to reach this goal.

In the meantime, here are my resolutions:

-       Spend two hours a day on focused studying for academics.

-       Go to the gym everyday when on campus.

-       Post 2 blog posts per week.

-       Routinely schedule and plan my life.