The Resolution Solution: 7 Goals You Can Meet This Year

I resolve to...learn to take a compliment.

Too many women swat away compliments by rejecting or disagreeing with them ("This old thing? I got it on sale!" or "You like my hair today? I didn't even wash it!"). But dismissing kind words can gradually chip away at your self-esteem, making it harder for you to face challenges, says psychologist Ellen Langer, PhD, professor of psychology at Harvard. Accepting accolades, on the other hand, may boost your confidence, giving you the guts to tackle just about anything, whether it's a job interview or even a marathon.

When someone compliments you, assume that it's sincere unless you have ample evidence to the contrary, and take a second to think about it. "If you reflect on why it may be true, you bring to mind positive aspects of who you are, which will help build your confidence," Langer says. Then simply say thank you and enjoy the moment. P.S.: Get ready for many more compliments in 2011, now that you're fitter, happier, and healthier than ever.

Read five pages a day. "My resolution was to finish at least five pages of a motivational book a day. I've kept it for two years, and my self-esteem has improved dramatically. Now I love who I am and the potential that I have to be and do anything I want."
-- Miriam Vasquez, 37, El Cajon, California

Cut back on booze. "Five years ago I examined the financial cost of my social drinking and made a list of what I could buy or the places I could go with that money instead. As a bonus of drinking less alcohol, I've lost weight, too."
-- Andrea Meissner Robinson, 42, Atlanta

Step on the scale. "Every year I resolve not to weigh more on the last day of the year than I did on the first day of the year. It keeps me watchful, and I've maintained a 70-pound weight loss for five years now."
-- Martha Durant Hennessy, 52, Mobile, Alabama

Pick up the pace. "I used to walk a lot. This year I resolved to start running and to complete a 5K; before I knew it, I was running more than walking. I recently completed my third 5K, and I just signed up for a five-mile race."
-- Marcie Jannetti, 35, Lakewood, New Jersey

Originally published in FITNESS magazine, January 2011.