I was surprised by the amount of chatter the resolution key chain created. Not to say that it shouldn't have ;-) It was really meant as a whimsical fun thing to start the New Year and ended up opening the discussion to what it takes to achieve those New Year’s resolutions and goals for 2013. We reached out to some experts on the subject and found all types of helpful tidbits from phone applications to sage advice. Here is a summary of some of the top finds and pieces of advice... the bottom line is that I think I was on to something with putting my goals on a key chain!

• Get Support
• Toby a Food Network nutrition expert at http://tobyamidornutrition.com spoke with me about the importance of good support:
  Support and accountability are important  keys to realizing and successfully fulfilling  resolutions or achieving any goals. Keep in mind it needs to be a support group that has the same goals or has already achieved them. If the group you have confided your resolutions to is unmotivated to make changes themselves then they are more likely to be saboteurs than mentors and motivators.

•  Mental Fortitude & Do it for the right reasons

o   Steve Siebold, a mental toughness coach at www.mentaltoughnesssecrets.com had some astute points:
- Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is.
- Expect to feel pain or suffer. If you're not ready to suffer during adversity, you're not going to be successful.
- Don't focus on how to do it, but rather, why should I do it?

• Get Organized
• I personally haven’t met anyone that is successful and accomplished that doesn’t subscribe to writing down their goals.  I write my down and look at them often.
• Visualize
• Seth-Deborah Roth at www.HypnotherapyforHealth.com says:
  "The best way to stick to resolutions is to visualize yourself as if you have already done it!! Usually, if you do this in a relaxed state it is the best !!
• Get innovative
• Jason Swenk created GoalVator
  - An iphone app to help you change your eating habits by reconditioning how you associate food with your emotions.
• Go Medical
• Dr. Sergio Maggi created CoolSculpting
  - When it looks like your will power is about to fail who says you can't achieve your resolution with a little medical intervention. Dr. Maggi came up with an innovative non-invasive way to freeze the fat off.  Sounds cool!

 
Good luck with those New Year’s Resolutions! Whether you decide to make inspirational jewelry or just jot down your goals on paper, stay focused one where you want to be. I will be sure to post an update on my resolutions in a few months.