How to be resolute with your New Year's resolutions

I love new year; it’s full of hope, possibility and new starts. Here’s an approach to help you capitalise on that new year optimism and make resolutions that last.

The mistake we often make with our resolutions is to come from a place of ‘should’; ‘I should start running’, ‘I should quit smoking’. I encourage you to ignore what others are achieving, forget any messages in the media and identify what you truly want to change.

Choose one area of your life that’s meaningful to you and reflect on why it's important for you to make a change. Ask yourself, what will I gain by making this change? Visualise yourself enjoying these benefits and imagine how you'll feel in a year's time having kept your resolution.

We all have resistance to change. So next, let’s be honest about what the barriers are, because if there weren’t barriers you’d be doing it already. Think creatively; how can you reduce or side step these barriers? How can make the change in a way that really suits your lifestyle and temperament? What's the next step in making this change happen?

And lastly, adopt an attitude of a positive coach rather than a belligerent headmaster, praise all efforts to enact the resolution and be encouraging if you have a slip. It’s much more motivating.