Are you in the 80% of these people? Let us help!

It's the middle of February. For most, that means the excitement of it being a "New Year" has passed and nearly 80% of people have abandoned their well-intentioned resolutions.

Are you one of them? Fear not, we have a few tips to keep you on the bandwagon the other 11 months of the year.

Whether it's pursuing a health care training program to become a respiratory therapist or occupational therapy assistant in a matter of months or making a lifestyle change like cutting back on the amount of soda you drink, it's all about how you approach your goal.

Here are four tips to help make sure you are successful from the get-go!

1. Write down your motivation for setting your goal in the first place

The best way to keep a goal is to constantly remind yourself why you started in the first place.

Identifying the behavior, you're seeking to change or prize for coming out successful on the other side is a great way to recalibrate your inner compass (GPS) to point due North.

Have you ever heard of a vision board? It's a physical poster-sized board that has photos, phrases and visual representations of what you'd like to accomplish.

Check out a few here: How To Create A Vision Board To Help You Get Exactly What You Want In 2018

2. Set Short-term, achievable goals

While saying you're never going let soda pass through your lips for the rest of your life sounds impressive, it's important to develop discipline and a foundation for long-term success through amassing small victories.

Say you're a current student struggling in a course. Rather than saying you're going to ace every test the rest of the term, commit to studying and visiting the Learning Resource Center on campus at least twice a week leading up to your next exam.

3. Share your goals with someone else

According to a recent article from Thomas Oppong, "The American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) did a study on accountability and found that you have a 65% of completing a goal if you commit to someone. And if you have a specific accountability appointment with a person you've committed, you will increase your chance of success by up to 95%."

When you make a goal public, others join you on your journey for a positive outcome. Whether it's reminding you of why you started or asking you how it's going along the way, having synergy with people who care about you can make all the difference in the world.

It's why we always encourage prospective students to bring along a friend or family member when they come to visit campus for the first time!

4. Remember, any improvement is progress

There's a good saying, "never give up on your worse day."

That means don't let a hiccup be enough to derail your entire action plan. If you had an off-day or didn't fully achieve the result you had in mind, adapt and overcome.

Don't let a little rain shower keep you from dancing in the sun. How many more clichés can we use in the same paragraph?

You get the idea!

When you're enrolled in a health care training program that is accelerated, it's tough to see the forest through the trees sometimes (we just had to slip one more in there). But, together we know that we can be successful.

It's why we've been training America's next generation of health care professionals for more than 60 years!