I love making resolutions. It gives me a sense that I’m driving my life forward. I can decide what I want, plan it, and make a change happen – countering my life’s drift.

But, like most people, I find it hard to live up to all of my expectations. Every year, I check the resolutions I keep in my datebook and check off the ones I achieve – and, every year, I carry some forward, feeling I failed because I didn’t achieve those.

There’s lots of advice about how to achieve resolutions – whether you make them at the beginning of the calendar or school year, or anytime in between. But, as I look at what’s succeeded for me over the years, I can now see they follow a five-step plan:

• Step 1 – Brainstorm your goals: You may have one wish or, like me, several. Do you want to lose 12 pounds this year or write the great Canadian novel? Maybe you want to reduce your work week or spend more time with friends. Be sure to note everything.

• Step 2 – Analyze your resolution(s): Study each goal you listed. Is this something YOU want – or is it something you, or someone else, think(s) you should do? A resolution won’t work unless YOU have the resolve to make it happen. So, be honest. Delete anything that doesn’t reflect what you truly want and are prepared to work to achieve.

If you only have one or two goals left, that’s good – because I’ve discovered the more goals you have, the more likely you are to fail because your focus is spread too thin.

• Step 3 – Break each goal into small steps: You’re more likely to achieve a goal that has small, achievable steps than one that doesn’t. I recently discovered Julia Cameron writes three pages a day. That’s how she’s written 25 books, including The Artist’s Way. It then dawned on me the same can apply to losing weight. Losing 12 pounds a year is daunting, but losing one pound a month isn’t. Now, when I reach for a cookie, I ask if it’ll help me lose my one pound this month and, knowing it won’t, I pour a glass of water instead.

• Step 4 – Write your goals: Record your final list. Seeing it in writing makes it more real. Once you’re done, you can also tuck it in your datebook or wallet to check regularly.

• Step 5 – Check your progress: Pull out your list once a week – or month – and check what you’ve done to advance your goal. If you’re not making progress, ask if you still want to accomplish this goal. If not, drop it. Or, if you’ve hit an obstacle, figure out what small steps you can take around it. The purpose is to keep steering toward your goal.

If you’ve got the right plan, making successful resolutions can be as simple as driving a car. Decide where you want to go, chart a step-by-step path to get there, then regularly check the map, working your way around detours. In the end, it can be very empowering to finally see your life moving forward and your dreams coming true.