New year’s resolutions are the most meaningful goals to have. As you’re starting the new year and putting things in the past, you should also set yourself up for the future. While you set these goals, you’ll be able to figure out what has been holding you back from achieving the things you want, and what you can alter in the new year to make things better in the end. Resolutions go hand and hand with reflections.

Step number one of making a resolution to live out in the new year is to reflect on the past year. You’ll become aware of the things that are actually important to you, whether those things are people, jobs, activities, or hobbies, they are all things that help you become who you want to be. A lot of people will argue that many will make a list of all the things that they want to accomplish or get rid of in the new year, and never achieve or change anything. That is because some people make their goals very unrealistic, and they don’t organize the amount of work it takes to get to the fulfillment of them.

That’s step number two, you need to be sure that your goals are attainable. You must see yourself performing the tasks needed to carry out your ambitions, then continue to push yourself and you’ll get there. The major characteristics of effective goals or resolutions include choosing your own goals based on your interests and desires, which gives you ownership and responsibility for the things you want, making sure your goal is measurable and specific, the goals need to be challenging enough to push you to actually try, making the tasks needed to achieve your goals possible, and lastly, just keeping a positive attitude and never giving up.

According to Ray Williams, “A New Year’s resolution is a tradition in which a person resolves to change an undesired trait or behavior, to accomplish a personal goal or otherwise improve their life.” There’s no better time to do that than after the sparkly ball drops in NYC!