What's well-being got to do with your New Year's resolution?

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     The New Year has now been upon us for 51 days. How are those New Year's resolutions coming?

     Nearly 40 percent of Americans make New Year's resolutions each year. Out of that percentage, though, only 8 percent of Americans actually achieve their goals.

     I am not part of that 8 percent of Americans Scranton University suggests who keeps their goals. My determination to go to the gym every morning at 6 and to give up excessive amounts of sugar has slowly begun to wane as life and the usual pressures of school begin to set back in. As much as I want to be part of this exclusive group, I always have trouble sticking to my goals. So how do I and the other 32 percent of goal-making Americans keep those good-intended goals?

     Setting and keeping goals directly influence well-being. Most goals people work towards encompass a change for the betterment of their lives - losing weight, being happy or appreciating the little things are a few examples.
 
     By simply setting a goal, people are working to improve their well-being. The hard part of this comes when problems arise and people struggle to keep their goals - getting up to go to the gym at 6 a.m. makes you tired at 3 p.m., stress gets in the way of your happiness, your busy schedule makes it hard to appreciate the little things. When you can't achieve your goal or make that positive change, you have a hard time of improving your well-being.


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     The concept of a goal is made up of two levels - creating a realistic goal and keeping that realistic goal so you can find success.

     Dr. Charles Walker, St. Bonaventure University professor of psychology and well-being researcher, gives tips on how to best figure out a good goal for life.

     Start by identifying your strengths, Walker writes. By figuring out what you are good at will allow you to have a better chance of succeeding in your goal and being happy with the outcome. Not sure what your strengths happen to be? Check out some websites Walker suggests.

     With your strengths in mind, try to come up with goals as specific as possible that allow you to use your strengths. If you happen to be someone who enjoys company, maybe your goal becomes to befriend a stranger. If one of your strengths is organization, maybe you work to help others become more organized. By being specific, not only can you measure the success of your attempt at your goal, but you can also find meaning behind that goal.

     And write your goals down! You won't forget them this way, and having them in writing will be a constant reminder of what you are trying to ultimately achieve. Post them somewhere where you see them on a daily basis - the bathroom mirror, the wall by your door, the computer screen or your desk. Make these goals become a constant thought in your mind.

     As you go throughout time, be sure to reward yourself for the progress you've made. Treat yourself to a movie or a nice dinner out, let yourself take an hour or two during a busy day to relax or go spend time with friends and family you haven't seen in a while. If you can't reflect on how far you've come and give yourself a bit of incentive, then you won't be able to appreciate what you've gained and how you've positively changed.

     So what does any of this have to do with well-being?


     Andrew Carnegie said it best when he said, "If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes."

     Setting goals and seeing those goals through introduces direction, focus and purpose into your life. By saying, "I want to get a B-in statistics," or, "I want to make 200 sales in my store this month," you give yourself a point to get to. Once you can imagine yourself at that end point, you can create a path to get to that end, helping you reach your goal and improve your well-being.

     The concept of well-being centers itself around satisfaction and happiness. Who wouldn't be happy and satisfied to reach their goal? The hardest part is making a realistic goal and sticking to it, but once you have that foundation, the path will be clear.

     For more tips on how to create a practical goal and see that goal to its end, check out Gretchen Reubin's website, The Happiness Project.