How To: Stick to your resolutions

The new year is a time for people to make resolutions and attempt to practice a better lifestyle. Three weeks after the "New Year high" has worn off, people are already starting to break those promises. If you are among the several people who have already started cheating on their diets, tests or significant others, just remember you are cheating yourself out of a better life.

The first thing to keep in mind in making a resolution is to dream big but stay realistic.  You promised to cut sugar from your diet, yet you seem to have a cookie in your hand right now. Finish the cookie, but just stop to remember and think about why you made your resolution in the first place. If the temptation is too strong and you're about to give in, why not call a friend for help?

Talk to friends about what you're going through and why you need to stay motivated. Your friend will help you through that urge of wanting that nicotine fix or even that Dr. Pepper. Whatever your goal, a friend can help you keep it. Keep in mind, though, if your friend doesn't answer and you do smoke that cigarette, it's okay. Don't lose sleep over your slip up; you have to live everyday one at a time. Beating yourself up about it will not help you achieve your goal.

Kelly Price, a junior from Terry Miss., has her eye on the goal.

"My resolution is to be focused on school and to prepare for my future after I graduate," Price said.  She wants to start studying more and  contact people to find out about internships.

"I also want to take every paycheck I receive this semester and put at least three quarters, if not all of it, into a savings account."

Price said that she just needs to focus on her goals in order to keep them.

"I'm looking forward to starting a new semester," she said.

"My resolution is to stay stronger in my faith than I did last year," said sophomore Gregory See. "I saw where my life was headed and didn't like who I was becoming."

See started his goal by going back to church.

"This is now more than a resolution; it's a lifestyle I choose to live," he said.

See has a couple of tips for everyone who is battling with their resolutions.

"Pick just one resolution, and make it as specific as possible," he said. "If you spread yourself out too thin, your motivation will go away and you might not make it into the next month without having broken your goal." See also suggested starting off a resolution with small steps.

"If you are trying to exercise more or lose weight, don't start off by running a marathon," he said. "You want to start out by going for a run a couple of times a week. Invite a friend to come who has made a similar resolution."

Sophomore  Ann Marie Brahan made a resolution that starts as soon as she wakes up.

"I want to make my bed every morning," she said. Brahan said if her bed is made she will be less tempted to waste time lying around in it during the day.

Remember that if you have made a resolution, get support from your friends and family, don't let small mistakes bring you down and remember that changing a habit takes time. The habits that you are trying to change took years to develop. You are not expected to change them in just a matter of days.