(BLACK PR WIRE) -- For many people, it’s that time again. The time when they plan to quit some negative habit or pick up a positive one in honor of a new year. Many of us have made mental, if not written, New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, quit smoking, watch less television, read more books, make new friends, give more to charity, spend more time with family, and countless other personal goals. Some people have a strong support system to accomplish these goals, while others deal with it in private. But in either situation, there are some practical ideas to get started if you truly want to stick with your New Year’s resolutions.

When you write down your resolutions, it doesn’t have to be the set-in-stone, final word. Write down any goals that you want to accomplish this year; even those that you or others think are ridiculous or unrealistic. Then, review and revise your resolutions periodically. You may decide to take some off the list, add new ones or modify others. You may even decide to save some resolutions for 2013!

As you make original or revised resolutions, ask yourself if there is a goal behind your goal. For example, one of your resolutions may be to obtain a higher-paying employment position, but your underlying motivation is to afford a college education for your children. Or you may have the goal to own a car, but your true motivation is to be able to visit family and friends more often. This is what it means to figure out the goal behind the goal, and the values behind the decisions you make.

After reviewing and revising your resolutions, rank them in order of personal importance to you. For a goal that requires several steps to accomplish, set a countdown of events that must happen. For example, if your resolution is to complete a college course, set a date by which you will meet with an admissions counselor, a date when you will pay tuition fees, the date when class begins and countdown each step until you complete that goal.

Whatever your resolutions are, enjoy a blessed and prosperous 2012!