January is a time to reflect on the past year, and February is all about re-energizing and reigniting change and personal growth.

Students at AACC and all across the globe scrambled to make their 2019 New Year’s resolutions, in hopes of transformation and new beginnings.

However, in study after study, those who make New Year’s resolutions admit they give up on them by February.

This could be because we set our expectations so high that we give up when we don’t see results as quickly as we hope. Maybe we’ve become so accustomed to immediate gratification that we don’t have the patience to wait.

But don’t let slipups discourage you for the rest of 2019. If your New Year’s resolutions are already history, how about starting over in February? The year is still pretty new, after all.

On Jan. 31, sit down with a pen and paper and write down the positive and negative changes you have made in your life so far this year, on two separate sheets of paper. If you didn’t make any resolutions on Jan. 1, write down a list of small and big changes you’d like to make this year.

Then, crumple up the list of negative changes and shred it. It doesn’t have power over you anymore.

Reread the list of positive changes you’ve made and congratulate yourself for them by posting them in an easy-to-read place, like on your mirror, so you can remind yourself of the progress you’re making each day.

As far as new changes go, decide what didn’t work for you during January. Maybe you gave yourself strict deadlines that were unrealistic, or maybe you cheated because you didn’t give yourself any at all.

Rework your goals and write them out in detail. Don’t just say you want to work out more often. Hold yourself to it by setting up a daily exercise plan.

For example, maybe you want to run a mile every day for a week. Once you meet that short-term goal, make a new one.

Only make goals that will be fun to achieve, because every feat will seem to come more quickly if you aren’t dreading the journey to success.

Decide what success means to you. When you get tired of trying to meet a goal that seems far fetched, don’t let it get you down.

Sometimes it’s easier and more valuable to change your goals every day, and divide your broad vision into a series of mini ribbon-cutting ceremonies.

Maybe you want to eat healthier. Take it week by week. The first week, try to eat more fruit. If you are going out with friends, let yourself indulge that day, but eat an apple for breakfast instead of giving up your resolution and giving in to the old “I’ll start next week” mentality.

Whether you want to run a marathon by May or save $1,000 by June, you can do it if you resolve now to start working toward it. Resolutions aren’t reserved for New Year’s Day. You can make and meet them every day of this new year.