If you’ve made a New Year’s resolutions and need a little extra help to stay on track, consider the six P’s of positive change:

1. PREPARE – Set goals that are realistic, challenging, and energizing. Identify your epic goal and short/medium-term goals that support the big one.

2. PRACTICE new behaviors, evaluate the effectiveness of your plan and adjust it as needed. Practice increases determination which supports your success.

3. Be PATIENT with yourself — change takes time.

4. Include PEOPLE to get support and increase the likelihood of your success.

5. Keep things in PERSPECTIVE, especially if it’s a challenging day.

6. Be PERSISTENT, stick with it, and engage your determination

The numbers below show how well resolutions are maintained over time.

• 75 percent of people continue past the first week.

• 71 percent make it past two weeks.

• 64 percent get through one month.

• 46 percent keep going after six months.

• And 19 percent make it past two years.

These numbers show that nearly half of all people who might not have otherwise made a change kept it going up to the six-month mark. And almost a fifth were still at it two years later. That’s a lot of success!

So, go for it! If you’d like additional support to help you attain your resolution, you can contact Aurora EAP at 800-236-3231.