This is a special piece that I wrote for the Mint Studios Blog at the start of the new year. Let's kick it off right!

The New Year is a great time for goal and intention setting. It's a fresh start. Your clean slate. But, it's also important to set yourself up for success because the truth is, when most of us set New Years resolutions, we forget about them within the first couple of weeks of January. To start off this New Year right, and stick to your healthy new goals, I encourage you to focus on shifting small habits. When we build healthy habits, they move us towards our loftier goals. For that reason, I like to focus on my daily habits in order to then achieve my goals.

To start, I'd like you to write out 3-5 goals that you have for this year. For example, maybe your first goal is to get into the best shape of your life. Instead of immediately sign up for 7 classes in a row and diving deeply into a challenging diet, which will burn you out really quickly, think about making small, more manageable habit changes every day. Do you normally wake up 15 minutes before you have to leave for work and rush out the door? Instead, set you alarm 30 minutes earlier so that you have time to drink some extra water in the morning and maybe even pack a healthy lunch. Practice this all week and then add something else in. Now you're one step closer to your big goal and chances are, you won't burn out.

One of my goals this year is to read 2 books per month. It sounds lofty up front, but when you break it down into simple daily habits it's much more manageable. My daily habit is that I'll read for at least 20 minutes 5 nights a week. Much easier, right?

Goal achievement is made up of tiny habits and adjustments that we make daily. They may seem small, but trust me, they add up quickly! So, set your goals and then work backwards to create habits and steps that will get you there. I'd love to hear more about your goals and habits in the comments below, so please share!

xo

Darby