It’s pretty typical that we think of the new year as a time to set new goals for the coming months. It’s not a bad idea! We seem to think of January as the beginning of new plans, new opportunities, a new start. By March, some of those plans fizzle out. By July, we give up and wait for next year. Ever happen to you?

What makes us give up? What makes some people stick with their goals and succeed?

Goals are concrete targets, measurable and incremental. They build a visible step-by-step path to success. But you can’t build that path until you have a vision of what you want to achieve. Think hard first about what it is you want to achieve. For most people, it seems that a healthier lifestyle is tops for goal-setting. Let’s use that as an example. Rather than set a goal as “I want to get fit,” instead, say “I want to walk 10,000 steps daily.” And you can easily visualize yourself getting up each morning early, and walking two miles, which will give you almost half that goal already.

Once you’ve decided on a goal, set an objective. Goals are composed of objectives, which are manageable, sequenced, and measurable tasks. Objectives spell out what must be done, in what order and by what date, to reach a particular goal. Objectives for our walking goal? Buy appropriate footwear. Be cleared by a physician. Decide on a route.

Make sure your goal is written somewhere where people can see it. This will hold you accountable. Post in your house or on social media. Ask friends to join in.

Even writing goals and objectives isn’t enough. Goals must be worded in a way that makes them effective. Effective goals are exciting because they create energy and momentum, and are achievable. They compel us to act now. So your goal might be “Walk 10,000 steps a day while listening to audiobooks,” a way to achieve two goals at once!

Finally, be sure to reward yourself for milestones. Yes, you’ve walked 10,000 steps every day the first week. That’s 70,000 steps! Give yourself some reward for achieving a milestone, like 100,000 steps. But not something that will defeat the ultimate goal of getting healthier. No alcohol or chocolate! Trying buying a new book… perhaps on goal setting!