Target to Meet Challenges for 2008

Tell me truthfully -- how many New Year's Resolutions did you keep from last year? According to a survey taken by Franklin Covey, the top three resolutions were to (1) Get out of debt or save money; (2) Lose weight; (3) Develop a healthy habit like exercise or healthy eating. When you think about New Year's Resolutions what would it take to make them more than good intentions? Fact is, most resolutions wind up as just good intentions, but you can change that!

Unless you and I target a daily or weekly plan and actually put feet to our resolutions, we can miss goals we truly want to achieve. So what could make the difference for a bigger bank account, a more svelte body and great physical and mental conditioning? Here're some helps to make 2008 New Year's resolutions become reality...

List your resolutions Jotting things down helps you figure out what you really want to do with your time, according to Kathleen McGowan, so that you get a handle on whether your goals are realistic.

And, here's a great strategy... Once you've displayed resolutions on the refrigerator door, there's no avoiding them. When they're staring at you every morning on the bathroom mirror, it's harder to forget that you made those promises to yourself.

Reprogram your brain... Every day that you begin to cut back on spending, for instance, you reprogram your brain for a new routine. Old patterns are stored in the basal ganglia of your brain and they don't change overnight. Your brain has great plasticity so that it can change. For example, the more you begin to be more frugal, the more your brain will help you develop a mindset for a more frugal lifestyle.

Go easy on yourself if you slip up once in awhile and start the next day with new resolve by discovering yet another way to save.

Make a game out of your resolution. Games are fun. Nobody likes doing something because they have to do it. So reward yourself now and then along the way. This will bring you more Serotonin, a brain hormone that brings well-being.

And, here's another strategy to bring more Serotonin...

Stay positive! When you think of possibilities you'll be challenged to see if you can make them a reality. Keeping a positive mindset actually helps make your resolve to save more money a reality.

Ready to give resolutions another try in 2008? I don't know about you, but I slipped when too much good food was served at Christmas so I've got some work to do as I launch the New Year! And I want to make svelte body a reality, not just a good intention!