New year, new you. You’ve heard the phrase a billion times before, but with the start of the new year, does anything ever really change? Have you ever truly stuck to your sugar-free, no gluten or dairy diet? Or have you stuck to going to the gym every single day? I’ll bet you haven’t.

According to time.com, some researchers estimate that only eight percent of people stick with their New Year’s resolutions for the entire year. We don’t find that fact surprising. New Year’s resolutions are a waste of time for most; however, if you learn how to go about them the right way, you might finally make it to the end of the year, saying “I did it.”

For starters, the goals you set need to be more specific. According to forbes.com, the most common New Year’s resolution is to improve fitness, but what does that entail? Increase cardio, start weight lifting, lose weight, gain endurance? Be sure to target and narrow down your focus – this will make it a more manageable, obtainable goal.

Also, why do you feel the need to wait until the New Year to push yourself out of your comfort zone and follow through with a new “you”? Senior Derek Azevedo said, “I don’t see a point in waiting for a new year to change yourself instead of just changing yourself in the moment.” Real motivation for change comes from a willingness to want change, not just the date on the calendar. So, if you do decide to use the new year date as a trigger to enact change, be sure to ask yourself about the motivation behind your new goal. Do you really want to make a change, or do you just want to say you are going to?

New Year’s resolutions can be dangerous when they are simply the byproduct of delayed goals that have been planned for months. All of these new changes to your routine can become overwhelming, flooding yourself with unrealistic expectations that are destined for failure. Forcing yourself to get straight As or get off all social media platforms permanently can quickly become nagging in the back of your mind, eating away at your sanity.The pileup of stress can cause a spiral into self-destruction and sabotage of progress.

Speaking of self-sabotage, WHS Health Teacher Kevin Everly explained why people don’t usually accomplish their goals. He pitched a scenario: “Let’s say, [someone has] a goal to eat better. And then one Friday night, they go out and they have pizza, they have cake and they’re like, it’s all ruined. All right, now I’m just going to go and eat whatever I want now, because I kind of failed, but it’s not failure. We just have to understand that we’re not perfect.”

Everly does have a point; we aren’t perfect. However, the expectations placed around following through with New Year’s resolutions make us feel like we need to be. Setting realistic, specific goals for ourselves throughout the year when we see fit is a much better solution to making real change in your life.