Ahhh… a new year brimming with chances to start anew, cast off bad habits, and be a little more like we'd like to be! Maybe you're tired of your jeans cutting off circulation to your legs. Maybe you've felt guilty about sneaking an extra brownie from time to time. Maybe you feel this bank robbery thing has just gotten out of hand. Whatever your shortcomings, the beginning of a new year can be a great time to decide to be better. And you certainly won't be alone.

Studies show that Americans are more resolution-conscious than ever, with the practice of setting resolutions being far more prevalent than people who actually know the words to that New Years song. Although we come from diverse backgrounds, it seems our shortcomings have a lot in common. Following are the top five most common New Years resolutions: 

1. Get in shape/Lose Weight – What do you get when you combine an increasingly image-conscious society and the most overweight population on earth? You get a lot of people wishing they weren't so fat, that they had those abs, or that they could slip into those size 2 jeans. Throw in growing volumes of evidence that being overweight poses serious health risks, and you get even more people scared to death to be fat. The result: every year the majority of us resolve to lose weight and get in shape.

Some people will take on exotic diets or rigorous exercise routines. Some will only sit and think about how great it would be to be thin (as they pound down another triple fudge sundae). And still others will take a very methodical, sustainable approach, gradually increasing their exercise while gradually reducing their calories consumed. Most who resolve to get in shape this year will fail, either burning themselves out in the first few months or never getting off the sofa. The few who do reach their goals usually do so by taking a sustainable, long-term approach. 

2. Quit _________ – Vices. We all have them. They come in a myriad of forms: tobacco, alcohol, Whoppers, soap operas, etc. They are all alike in that they are bad for you, at least in excess. When you need to kick the habit, you usually know deep down inside. You can no longer recite the alphabet from memory, for example. Or, in another example, your planner is filled with only two activities: work and feeding your vice (with work soon to be removed from the picture).

When you exhibit these symptoms, it's time to drop that bad habit like… well, like a bad habit. Many resolution-setters will accomplish this by abstinence, going cold turkey, etc. Many find it helpful to remove themselves from the situations where they used to indulge in their vice. For instance, if you are trying to give up drinking, stop visiting the pub. If you are trying to break away from Days of Our Lives, don't sit in front of the TV at noon every day waiting to be tempted. It helps significantly to fill the void left by your vice with something else. You know, like smokers chewing gum or Jenny Jones addicts going back to school. If you're addicted to video games, sell your console and buy some good books.

New Years is a great time to get rid of that excess baggage slowing you down. 

3. Get organized If, like many Americans, you feel your life is out of control, getting organized in the coming year may be the right resolution for you. The first of the year just happens to be a very convenient time to do so. All calendars start at January 1st. You have a well-placed vacation to take a break from running around like a headless chicken and get your act together. Be warned, however: once school and work start up again you have lost your chance to get your bearings. Therefore, get a planner and get in control early before things get hectic again.

Many find it helpful to buy a calendar, a planner, labels, etc., something tangible to remind them of and help to fulfill their goal. The most crucial component of organization is making it part of your routine. After all, being organized can't be accomplished in one fell swoop. The universe and your life have an annoying tendency to get disorganized. You know, the law of entropy and all that. Things that you organize today will inevitably get disorganized later. Thus, organization needs to be done on a regular basis. For instance, you may decide to make Sunday night 'Planning Night', when you find a quiet place to sit down with your planner and map out your week. Saturdays may be set aside for cleaning and organizing your house. Consistent maintenance is the key here.

One more caveat: beware of over-scheduling yourself. Time is a limited asset. Filling your planner with too many extemporaneous activities can quickly rob you of any time you would have to organize or plan. Honestly ask yourself what activities are necessary, what activities you would like to do, and what activities are just draining your time. And be realistic about how much time you allot for each activity. 

4. Get out of debt Nothing drains your bank account and good spirits like debt. The holiday shopping spree does little to alleviate this burden. So, once January 1 rolls around and the credit card statements start arriving in the mail, a vast number of Americans first almost faint from shock and then resolve to tighten their belts and overcome that harsh captor Debt.

A variety of tools exist to help people with overwhelming debt: debt consolidation services, setting strict budgets, living scarcely, downgrading in the car or house department. All approaches, unless they are trying to pull something over on you, involve a great deal of discipline and determination. Changing one's spending habits can mean changing one's lifestyle altogether, which, of course, is worth being free to keep your money and know that, in the event of economic hardship, you will not be taken to the cleaners by the credit card companies.

5. Get a better job Being in a job you hate or that isn't taking you anywhere can have a serious impact on your personal well-being. We always want to feel like we're going somewhere, that things are getting better. It's no wonder then that millions of Americans resolve to leave their stale jobs behind for greener pastures. Many will find a better job. Others will improve their education with the goal of attaining better employment.

About the author Marcus Varner earned his BA in English from Brigham Young University with a Creative Writing emphasis. He is currently in his second year at BYU's lauded MBA program studying Marketing. He blogs, writes fiction and screenplays, loves movies, and can't resist playing superheroes with his kids.

"I’m going to stop eating sweets." "I will lose weight." "I will write a 2,000-page novel." "I’m going to stop watching Jerry Springer." ‘Tis the season for resolutions. You know how the cycle works. You stuff yourself at Thanksgiving and Christmas so you feel like a gravy-drenched blimp by the end of the year. You get stressed out at work because of the typical year-end crunch. You get stressed out because of holiday shopping and endless parties to attend. It’s no wonder that, by the end, all of us feel like we have weight to lose, bad habits to break, and things to do better. So when Jan. 1 rolls around, you break out your brand new planner and jot down those things that you will do the next year to be better, skinnier, or less irate.

Setting goals is never easy. There always seems to be so much at stake in setting the wrong goal. I mean, why send yourself into a downward, self-defeating spiral by setting goals you can’t reach or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, goals that are far beneath your abilities? To help you set goals you can keep, I provide the following four questions to guide you through the process:

1. "Is this resolution attainable?" Pardon me for stating the obvious, but you should set goals that you can actually reach. I should not, for example, make a goal to have Brad Pitt’s physique by the end of the year. Not going to happen. Even with the miracles of modern plastic surgery. Similarly, I should not set goals to give up red meat, stop playing video games, or invent a viable teleportation device, at least not within the next year.

Know thyself, the saying goes. Know what you are capable of. Expect great things of yourself but also realize that most real changes come in small increments. Therefore, refrain from setting impossible goals. Doing so only erodes your confidence in your ability to reach goals. Go with something you can set your sights on and move toward steadily throughout the year.

2. "Is it measurable?" Although it is a good sentiment, it is not enough to resolve to promote world peace. Why? You would have a hard time measuring your progress from day to day. You may help an old lady across the street in January. Does that mean your goal has been met? You threw a peace sign to some guy at the store. Are you finished? The truth is, you would never know when you finished or how far you had come.

You can make your goals measurable by making them more specific and assigning numbers to them. For example, instead of just promoting world peace, resolve to volunteer at a homeless shelter once a week. Or resolve to raise $10,000 to help victims of genocide. Resolve to take out your neighbor’s trash every week. As long as you can track or count your progress, you have greatly increased your chances of keeping your resolution. It also has a tendency to reward you as you go along, instead of holding out for one grand finale.

3. "Do I have a plan?" You know how they say, "A dream is just a dream until you have a plan and start working"? Well, maybe you don’t, but they do- you know, they… those people to whom everyone should listen. Regardless of who they are, it is common sense that most goals that do not also include plans usually don’t get reached. It’s like saying to yourself, "I want to go to Panguitch, Utah. I want to go to Panguitch, Utah." Simply saying the words will not magically convey you to the small, isolated town of Panguitch. No, you need to get the map out, find the right roads, and start driving. It is no different with any other goal.

You will not reach your goal by merely writing it down. You need to create a plan whereby that goal will be obtained. For instance, if you want to lose weight, make a plan that tells you what days of the week you will exercise, what foods you will eat, or how you will reward yourself for milestones reached. The more specific, the better.

4. "Am I committed?" Going into a difficult resolution with only lukewarm commitment almost guarantees failure. And then you put yourself into the awkward situation of resolving to better keep resolutions. Therefore, only resolve to do things that are important to you enough to stick with for a whole year. For instance, if you’re thinking of resolving to refinish the kitchen cabinets, but the cabinets are about as high-priority to you as knitting your cousin’s dachshund a sweater, you are setting yourself up for failure.

Resolve to do something you are significantly excited, passionate, or concerned about. Pick something that will keep your attention. If the doctor just informed you that you are in danger of developing heart problems if you don’t lose weight, then that is probably sufficient incentive to stick with your resolution. If you just decided that you want to look like the Rock because he has cool pants, your commitment may not be solid enough to stay the course.

All four of these questions involve setting yourself up for success, instead of failure. Learn how to set and plan for realistic, measurable goals that you can commit to and you will find yourself actually writing down new resolutions this time next year.

About the author Marcus Varner earned his BA in English from Brigham Young University with a Creative Writing emphasis. He is currently in his second year at BYU’s lauded MBA program studying Marketing. He blogs, writes fiction and screenplays, loves movies, and can’t resist playing superheroes with his kids.