UNITED STATES—It’s that time of year people, yep it’s time to bid adieu to 2015 and welcome 2016 into the mix. With that we all begin to start making those resolutions that never seem to take flight. I mean I have already made two epic goals that I want to accomplish: going vegan and getting those finances in place. Yes, the whole dieting/eating healthy craze happens all too often for most of us, but I seriously have a plan in place.

I’m not going to completely stress myself out regarding either of my resolutions, but I do have small things I plan to do to keep things in order. For starters, no more fast-food, more trips to the farmers market to indulge in vegetables and fruits. Is it going to be easy to go vegan? Absolutely not, I mean I am someone who loves his meat, but I will admit it wouldn’t hurt a week or a few days during the week to go without red meat, chicken, pork or even seafood.

I guess the tricky situation arises with coming up with dishes that tantalize the palette without me craving those proteins that salivate the taste buds. I’m hoping to get more people in my family on the bandwagon as well, when you make things a collaborative effort it just makes it so much easier to stay on track than to get lost in the midst of the chaos.

Like salads; I mean what the hell is wrong with a guy eating a salad. Absolutely nothing, I just tell people that if you change up the salad every now and then it totally makes a huge difference. I mean one day try a veggie you haven’t had, same with a fruit and then throw in a variety of nuts from time to time, the one thing people have to be careful with is the use of that dressing. It can totally negate what your plan is.

When it comes to money, the best advice is not to rely on that plastic if you don’t have to. Nothing is more embarrassing than attempting to pay for something and to have your credit card or multiple credit cards declined. Why is that a problem? That means you are not aware of where your finances stand on what you can afford to spend. That means you have allowed those credits to amplify the amount of interest that you owe making it almost impossible to pay off that debt in a manner that does not feel like it’s breaking your bank each week.

I used to say the credit card is for those massive big purchases versus the small purchases, and I must say I still agree with that notion. Why? Well, the small purchases add up and before you know it you’ve spend way more than you expected. So how can you knock those credit card balances down? Well pay at least double if not a little over the minimum due so that you can put a dent into that interest. Paying the bare minimum might keep one from facing late fees and additional charges, but it’ll take forever to get that balance to zero, which is something we all want.

The thing with any resolution is to not look at it as something temporarily; focus on incorporating it permanently into your life. Now is this something that will happen overnight? No, but if you allow yourself to take things in small doses it can be all the difference from success and absolute failure.

Guess what people, failure is ok. It happens, you’re going to slip and use that credit card, eat that slice of pizza or forget to exercise, and it’s not the end of the world if you do. Just make up for that slight hiccup the following day or the following week. Most of us become so peeved that we slipped we throw in the towel way too early. Don’t give up; the mental strength that exists inside all of us is more powerful than we know. If we don’t challenge ourselves to force that fight to come out, it never will.