Only about 40 percent of Americans make resolutions each year. However, according to StatisticBrain.com, 40 percent of those people abandon their resolutions by the end of January.

If you’ve made it through the first month of 2017 and managed to keep your New Year’s resolution intact, congratulations!

You’re among 60 percent of Americans who have maintained their resolution throughout the entire month of January. Only 11 more months to go!

These statistics can be daunting, even defeating. After all, setting goals is often far easier than following through with them.

But how do you overcome the temptation to quit? How do you actually keep your resolution?

Kevin Cruze, contributor at Forbes.com, wrote an article titled, “7 Secrets of People Who Keep Their New Year’s Resolutions.” His first secret is to make specific resolutions. Cruze echoes the classic goal system, which requires goals to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART).

He also recommends scheduling time to complete your daily goals.

Chloe Chelli, a sophomore music education student, applies this principle to her own resolutions.

She places sticky notes throughout her planner as reminders to get things done.

She also keeps herself accountable by sharing her goals with friends and family members. Chelli’s resolutions for this year include not slouching, drinking more water and spending more time in prayer.

Establishing this “one-day-at-a-time” mindset is helpful for accomplishing your goals. But what happens if you miss a day?

CJ Billiu, a sophomore journalism and mass communication student, said he used to get discouraged when he broke his resolution.

“As soon as I missed a day or two, I’d quit,” he said.

Now, Billiu doesn’t panic when he misses a day. Instead, he shrugs it off and resumes his goal the next day.

His goals for 2017 include journaling daily, reading 10 new books and blogging once a week.

Some people, however, don’t wait until January to set long-term goals.

David Ware, a junior business administration major, takes a different approach.

“When someone always makes their resolutions in January, there can be a tendency to put things off until the new year rather than addressing them when they become apparent,” he said. 

Instead of waiting for a new year, Ware said he sets resolutions as soon he sees something that needs to change.

This semester, Ware said he wants to pursue more opportunities to serve his local church.

Philip Arcuri, a sophomore humanities major, said, “Treat every day like a new year and resolve to get done what you resolved to that day.”