56 msfocusmagazine.org Life with MS We are at the beginning of a new year – a chance to refresh and start anew in 2018. As we reflect on things that have come to pass and consider things that may be coming in the future, many of us will make resolutions we intend to keep.We all want to be successful and live life to the fullest. We constantly strive to be better and are always looking for ways to achieve our goals. By making New Year’s resolutions (or goals for the new year), you can help yourself accomplish these things. MS Focus Magazine has published articles before to help everyone realize and keep present the things that they want to achieve – whether it’s happiness, to live in peace with who we are, or to set some goals for the upcoming year. When you think of NewYear’s resolutions, you may not immediately think of the word “fun.” Three years back, Gay Falkowski wrote an article called 6 Fun and Easy-to-Keep New Year’s Resolutions. Think about it, if our resolutions were things we actually enjoyed doing, then how easy would it be to keep them? She wrote, “Laugh more, eat more mindfully, listen to music more, dance more, hug more, and, finally, go outside more.” All of these resolutions are not only easy to keep, but also will help improve your quality of life immediately upon doing them. Some of us may have some tougher resolutions to achieve and maintain, such as, losing weight or improving your physical fitness. An article from Matt Cavallo, 5 Steps to Making Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick, explains how to achieve these kinds of goals. He wrote, “Write down a plan, make the resolution attainable, failure is an option, understand your limitations, and change is a marathon and not a sprint.” One of the most important things to take away from Matt’s article is that failure is an option. Under- standing that it’s okay to fail is a large part of achieving your goals. What you do after that failure is what counts. Sometimes it’s just a matter of refocusing on your goal; maybe you need to adjust your expectations, or maybe you just need more time. Also, like Matt says, change is a marathon and not a sprint. We are so accustomed to instant gratification, that when things take a bit longer than we anticipated, we are more inclined to just give up instead of sticking with it. Anything worth achieving is going to take time, effort, and dedication. Embrace the New Year! By Kathryn Bradbury