Last year, I resolved not to write any New Year’s stories about resolutions. And as you can see, it’s not working out all that well. I suppose I shouldn’t be shocked. Only about 12 percent of people who make a New Year’s resolution actually accomplish their goal. In some form or the other, we’ve been making resolutions to mark the New Year for at least 3,500 years, yet we still haven’t quite mastered how to make them stick yet.

Personally, I considered just resolving not to make resolutions as a solution, but like most people, I too feel that the holiday is just too good a self-improvement opportunity to pass up. And, we red-blooded Americans do love to improve ourselves—to the tune of 2.5 billion dollars a year pumped into the ever-growing self-improvement industry.

But why do we fall short when we go it alone? Let’s take a look at the major culprits.

One of the biggest things that leave our resolutions doomed before the first sign of spring is that we often make them flippantly, as almost as a matter of obligation to the passing year. Many times, our resolution is just whatever happens to be on our minds in the seconds before the clock strikes midnight and the bubbly first hits our lips. There’s no deep self-exploration involved, it’s the psychological equivalent of an impulse buy. As such, we have about as much enthusiasm about such a resolution as we do a cheap keychain flashlight or pocket-sized playing cards.

Another common mistake is keeping our resolutions private. Shame is the most powerful motivator known to human kind. We might easily let ourselves down, but it’s much harder to fall short in the eyes of others. Just think back to the first time mom said “I’m not mad; I am disappointed.” Those six words are the emotional equivalent to a Chuck Norris flying roundhouse to the soul and at least twice as effective as a motivator.

Not setting a realistic, measurable goal is another pitfall. For example, if you’re overweight, “getting abs that look like speed bumps” might be a little overreaching. “Losing 10 pounds” is not only more manageable but it’s easily measurable. Pledging to “be a better person,” while noble is just about impossible to measure short of having your friends fill out a detailed evaluation form at year’s end.

So, if you put some thought into it and come up with a measurable, realistic goal that you then share with your friends and family, will it stick? Let’s find out. Make your resolution and share your success or failure (we’ll be gentle) with us and we just might run your story in our January 2013 edition. How’s that for motivation? Just submit your story by November 15th 2012 to us at P.O. Box 67560 Albuquerque, NM 87193 or send to primeedit@swcp.com and give us a way to contact you my phone or email. If your story is chosen, you’ll be interviewed and your picture will appear on our January cover and bragging rights will be yours until at least 2014.

Good luck and Happy New Year from all of us at Prime Time Monthly News.