2016 is finally drawing to a close, which means it’s time to turn over a new leaf and start the new year strong and committed to new goals. If you tend to forget about your new year resolutions once February starts, here are five tips to help you create and actually achieve them in 2017.

Be realistic. Don’t choose goals that are too big to achieve in a year. Be realistic about how much time, effort or money the goal will take to complete.

Break it down. See if your larger goals can be broken down into smaller steps or benchmarks. Creating a concrete plan will make your goals seem more manageable and will help you stay accountable.

Talk about it. Let your friends and family know what your goals are and how you are working to achieve them. You’re more likely to stick to a goal if you have positive people in your life keeping you accountable. You may even find someone with the same goal who will work with you to achieve it.

Anticipate problems. Sometimes life gets in the way, causing us to get off track. Don’t let one problem allow you to throw away all of your progress. Anticipate what those problems or interruptions will be ahead of time and make a plan to overcome them.

Don’t beat yourself up. If you do slip up occasionally or get off track, make sure you don’t beat yourself up about it. When you feel yourself slipping, pick a day to refocus and adjust your plan if necessary. Nobody is perfect and it’s okay if you aren’t 100 percent on track as long as you are trying.

Happy New Year!