Think big picture
That old advice about making resolutions specific and measurable? Not quite spot on. You could, after all, check off your goal of exercising 30 minutes each day, then help yourself to a second piece of cake—not consistent with your true overall desire to be fit. “Rather than an outcome like losing 20 pounds or saving $10,000, identify a value, like health or financial security, that becomes your focus for the new year,” McGonigal says.