As the New Year approaches, everyone is thinking about resolutions. Most people make resolutions, but only a few actually carry them out. Lucky for you, Chi On A Dime has created a cheat-sheet guide to following through on your 2012 goals.

Step #1: Determine your goals and make sure that they are attainable. Be sure to set one large goal and not five, this way you are more likely to achieve this goal. For example: “I want to be promoted this year.”

Step #2: Share your resolution with family and friends. ”Sharing our goals holds us accountable, so it’s harder to back out,” says John Norcross, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Scranton (Self.com). Verbalizing your goal will help you to visualize the end result as well as share your successes along the way.

Step #3: As the months go on, you may lose motivation to carry out your resolution. Don’t give up! People are determined to stick with their goals initially, but if they do not see results immediately, they tend to give up quickly. Be sure to set small goals along the way to motivate yourself. For example, have just one piece of dark chocolate each day instead of an entire bag of M&Ms if you are trying to cut the sugar.

Step #4: Be your own best advocate. Having support from family and friends is a plus, but it all comes down to you. You need to be a self-motivator in order to achieve your personal goals.

Step #5: If you embody all of the advice given in steps one through four you should be well on your way to achieving your 2012 goals! Happy New Year to all!