Here is how to make sure you finally achieve your New Year's resolutions

Every year, people all over the world make New Year's resolutions telling themselves this year is my year. But a study has shown that people fail to keep 80% of these resolutions by as early as the second week of February.

So this year, we are going to fail-proof your plans and make sure you finally achieve your New Year's resolutions.

Here is what you need to do:

Be extremely specific with your goals

According to psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert, author of "Be Fearless: Change Your Life in 28 Days," the main reason why people fail to keep their resolutions is that they keep making vague resolutions.

Speaking with Business Insider, the expert said, "It's easier to drop out or walk away when you set goals or resolutions that are vague. When it's really detailed and specific, it's harder to walk away from it."

Be specific with your goals this year GETTY IMAGESNORA CAROL PHOTOGRAPHY

This is why this year, you need to be extremely specific with your goals. Figure out exactly what you are trying to achieve and focus on that. Don't just say, 'I want to lose weight' or 'start a new business'. No, make your WHAT so clear you can feel it.

Instead of writing, 'lose weight' write 'go to the gym 3 times a week' or 'walk for at least 30 minutes' or 'skip 1000 times every day'. It doesn't hurt to add a timeline to your goals.

In Alpert's words, "What do I need to do this week, what do I need to do over the next month or so, and what do I hope to accomplish over the next several months?"

Know your why

It is easy to say you want to do something but if you don't know why you actually want to do that thing, 2019 will be just another year of failed resolutions. So before you say you want to save money or do better ask yourself why? Why do I really need this? Why is this so important to me? Knowing your why is what keeps you going when it seems like you are not making progress, it is what helps you stay the course when you get frustrated or discouraged and it is exactly what you need to hit that target.

Be accountable

There are two approaches to achieving your new year resolution -- you can keep it to yourself or tell people. Depending on how strong-willed or disciplined you are, either one could work but to really increase your chances of achieving that goal, we recommend telling people. Note: Not just anyone but those that actually care and are probably doing the same thing or have already aced the thing you are currently trying to accomplish.

Telling these people, either offline or online, means you have people holding you accountable, encouraging you when you need it and helping you celebrate your wins. Having this kind of support is always a good idea.

Have a positive perspective

When making resolutions, a lot of people frame them with negative language and thoughts. For instance, you are trying to save money and you get pained every time you have to set some money aside for your savings. This kind of mindset makes saving seem like a punishment which increases your chances of not sticking to it.

Instead of this negative perspective, remind yourself of how fortunate you are to even have enough money to spend and save, how great you will feel when you accomplish your goal. While this might not seem like much, this simple trick might just be the key to making 2019 the year of achieved resolutions.

As Alpert further explains, "So much of how we talk to ourselves impacts our actions and our behaviour. We need to feed ourselves positive self-talk. Instead of telling ourselves 'Don't eat junk food,' we should be telling us the behaviour we desire, like 'Eat carrots and peanut butter as a healthy snack.'"

Be patient with yourself

Whenever we start something new, we start with a lot of energy determined to reach the end. This is sustained until life gets in the way and we get discouraged and give up.

To avoid this pattern, be patient with yourself as you adopt a flexible approach (for instance, I'm going to aim for exercising 6 days this week but I won't beat myself up if I only workout on just 4/5 days)instead of an all-or-nothing one (e.g., "I didn't work out this Monday, so I'm going to wait until next week").

Track yourself

The final step to achieving your goals is keeping track of your progress. According to John C. Norcross, Ph.D., a psychology professor at the University of Scranton, clinical psychologist, and author of "Changeology: 5 Steps to Realising your Goals and Resolutions", "this kind of 'self-monitoring' increases your chances of keeping the resolution."

So, create a sheet if you have to, take pictures, keep a checklist do whatever it takes to track your progress and keep yourself motivated.

Let's make 2019 the year we finally achieve our new year resolutions. Have a great year!