It’s the start of a brand new year. Happy 2015!

Once again, you determine to make a fresh start. You’ve thought it through. There are a few things on your list of TO DOs this new year. So, like millions, you make those resolutions.

The top resolution for most of us involves fitness. Lose those 10 unwanted pounds. Get to the gym everyday! Stop smoking and eat better.

Well, if you want to up your chances, move to Florida. Geography matters in terms of follow through. Floridians do better than New Yorkers or Californians.

And so does follow through. You have to figure out a way to make it happen. Otherwise, you will struggle to juggle that schedule and be part of the 8% that actually follow through on New Year’s resolutions.

So what else can do you to make those resolutions stick?

1) Aim low not high. This is especially true with weight loss. Don’t start the year with lofty goals like losing 50 pounds. Rather, begin with a small goal of 5, then 10. It’s psychologically easier to attain and you won’t feel like a failure if it takes awhile.

2) Start early. Did you know that it is better to start  changes in August, not December? We are geared up and ready to go (Maybe it feels like the start of a new school year!) and January is the worse month for follow-through! You’ve heard of Christmas in July, how about New Year’s Resolutions in August?

3) Stay the course. If you can go 90 days, you have a better chance of making a change. Think about the gym–most people who crowd the machines in January are gone by March. They haven’t made exercise a habit. So from the beginning, make this a commitment in your head, something you have to do regularly to make it stick.

4) Tell someone who will make you accountable. Like studying, if I know the teacher will quiz me, I study better. So find a friend or loved one and make that person your accountability partner. And your odds of success go way up of there is a financial incentive attached.

So are New Year’s Resolutions a good idea?

Only if you are truly commitment, juggle your schedule to make changes, stay the course, have realistic goals and are accountable to others. Otherwise, you join the 92% of Americans who have good intentions, but don’t follow through! And that doesn’t feel like a Happy New Year!