Just a few days separates us from a brand new year, a brand new decade and a new beginning if we so choose.

And what goes hand-in-hand with that change of date, the flip of the page to a new year? Resolutions, of course. And as the countdown begins, many people are considering this year’s round of resolutions.

Making and keeping resolutions can be tough because we tend to make rather large gestures: quit smoking, drinking, eating chocolate, ice cream; lose weight; save money; exercise more, join a gym. But far too often, resolutions go by the wayside when daily life resumes and schedules get busy again.

So how do we fulfill these promises we’ve made only to ourselves? How does one avoid a New Year’s resolution failure?

It’s easier than you may think.

Outside of not making resolutions at all —if you don’t make them, you can’t possibly break them — maybe we should consider not making such grandiose ones. Keeping expectations reasonable just may be the key to resolution success.

Instead of making a resolution to lose 30 pounds, try losing five pounds. Then five pounds later, go for another five with a March resolution. Instead of cutting out all desserts or adult beverages, allow yourself those things on special occasions or maybe once a week. Rather than killing yourself running on the treadmill on day one at the gym, then nursing aching muscles for the next week, start slow, start with a run/walk program that will ease you into a regular exercise regimen.

This is not to say you shouldn’t set lofty goals. But make sure those goals are reasonable and attainable. Taking small steps toward a larger goal allows you to focus on and celebrate the current achievement. It allows you to focus on the positive.

We can all use an injection of a little positivity at the start of this new decade, can’t we? Start by being good to yourself.