[dropcap]S[/dropcap]o, we’re a few days into 2016. Have you been keeping up with your new year’s resolutions?

You might be doing well so far, but chances are you have a feeling that this success won’t last long. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. If you belong to the approximately 50 percent of the population who make resolutions, you may have committed to losing weight, exercising more, quitting smoking, or saving more money; but out of that 50 percent, only eight percent will actually achieve their resolution.

Making a change to your habits is never easy — it involves rewiring your brain to change your behaviours. It takes time, commitment, and persistence; and you can’t just give up when things don’t change right away. Often, people become discouraged if they don’t see results right away, and this can lead to backsliding into old habits.

On New Year’s Eve, we often make declarations of things we wish would happen or things we think we should be doing; we say things that sound good to us and get us into the spirit of the season, but we aren’t making realistic goals that we can actually see ourselves achieving. New Year’s resolutions fail because they remain hopes and dreams that we have no intention of acting upon.

Deciding to do things differently in January is also not great timing to set yourself up for success. It’s still bitterly cold and wet outside, it still gets dark before dinner, and you’re recovering from the excitement and financial burden of the holidays. Going back to the routine of school or work, while also trying to change your life, only adds an unnecessary level of stress and complexity to your resolutions.

Another reason resolutions so often fail is that they tend to be huge aspirations instead of concrete, achievable goals; with multiple resolutions and unrealistic expectations, we only get stress and pressure that are extremely demotivating. When planning to change any habit, it’s important to commit to small, manageable steps that can be achieved quickly — they’ll offer you the confidence you need to continue working towards the final goal.

Further, there is nothing inherently revolutionary about January 1. It’s just another day, and there are another 364 that could serve as your day to make a change.

It’s not that resolutions can’t be motivational — a new year can bring with it the feeling of renewal, which can seem like the perfect chance to turn over a new leaf and begin fresh. But perhaps we should stick to cleaning out the closets and preparing for the year ahead rather than trying to changing our lives wholesale.

One of my favourite quotes, care of Andy Warhol, states: “They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” In other words, don’t wait for change to happen or for what you may think is the right timing — just seize the day and make it happen already.