Are you, or should I say were you, a part of the 77% of people who made a resolution for the new year? While a good amount of people try to create rules to help them live a healthier and happier lifestyle, only about 8% actually stick to their word. So why is it that so many people make them when they know they won’t even last a week?

Over winter break, I asked a lot of different people on what their resolution would be. For some, I told them I would be checking back in two weeks to see how they did. For the others, I only asked what their resolutions were. I wanted to see if it would have an effect on who would stick with it and who would give up.

My sister didn’t know I would be checking back in with her so when I asked her how she was doing with eating healthier and focusing on herself, she laughed and said “I gave up on eating better, I can’t give up chipotle! But I am focusing on myself more and making sure I am happy.”

I told my friend that I wanted to check in with her in two weeks. Her resolution was to look at things in a positive way. At the end of the day she will only look at the positives and name at least three good things that happened for the day. Now that she is doing this, I can see the difference in her attitude and she genuinely seems happy. “It’s really helped me to block out the negatives. By approaching the day with a positive mindset and really emphasizing on the good things, it has really helped me feel less stressed and it has brought out a better version of me.”

I came to a conclusion that my sister was more likely to fall out quicker because without her knowing I would actually come back to see her progress she didn’t feel the need to push through anytime she felt a little lazy. My friend on the other hand had a reason to continue because she wasn’t just doing it for herself, but to also help me with my experiment.

It’s never too late to start a resolution! We use a new year as an excuse but you can really start at any time! If you are trying to change your lifestyle in any way, here are three tips that can help you stick with your resolution:

1. Try to do something with another person: You are more likely to keep up with your resolution if you have to check in with someone or if you know you are doing something with them because you don’t want to let them down.
2. Start small: If you try to do too much at once, you’ll just put more stress on yourself. If you are trying to lose weight, you could substitute dessert with something else you might enjoy like fruit or you could freeze some yogurt and maybe go to the gym one or two days a week and then build up from there.
3. Reward Yourself: Don’t be so uptight and super strict on yourself! Your resolution is supposed to help bring out a better version of you! So if you have been doing good and are staying on track, treat yourself to some new clothes or go to the movies with some friends.