As the new year begins, millions of people set resolutions in hopes of making positive changes. However, according to Baylor College of Medicine, 88% of these resolutions fail within the first two weeks. Forbes reports that only 9% of people who set resolutions manage to keep them throughout the year.Dr. Michelle Hollenbaugh, a Counseling and Educational Psychology professor at TAMUCC, emphasized that setting unrealistic goals can be a major barrier. "[If a person says] Im just going to go to the gym every day. If youre not going to the gym at all, that is not going to be attainable," she noted.Corpus Christi resident Crystal Gutierrez shared her approach to goal-setting. I dont like to say resolutions. Ive made some goals because I want them to be attainable, she said. Gutierrez believes breaking down goals into manageable steps is essential. Actually, you caught me at a perfect time. I like to come here, bring my coffee, and have Bible time. So thats like my number one thing. I am doing the Bible recap, she added.Randy Cantrell, an executive leadership coach, echoed similar advice, encouraging people to focus on one thing at a time. Pick one thing. One thing at a time, he said. Cantrell also highlighted the importance of having a purpose behind a goal. I think one big thing behind the goal should be the purpose. Why? Why do you want to do this? A lot of people say, Next year, I want to make $10,000 more. Okay, why?Hollenbaugh also stressed the value of accountability and support when working toward goals. In counseling, we talk a lot about doing a check-in and saying, Is this working? Oh, this isnt working. What happened? What should we change going forward? she explained.Experts agree that realistic goal-setting, a clear purpose, and regular self-evaluation can greatly improve the chances of success.TAMUCC offers low-cost and free counseling to the community, including group and family counseling.For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.