It is Jan. 5 and by now your New Year’s Resolutions are most certainly dead. You may have made them hastily as the ball fell, and you watched Mariah Carey do whatever that was. Or they may have been made thoughtfully about something you’ve wanted for a long time such as losing weight or getting more organized.

But I don’t doubt that the majority of people, whatever their resolution is, have dropped them by now.

But why? Why is it so hard to commit to meaningful change in our lives?

I believe the root of the problem is the resolution itself. I’m going to love myself more sounds great, but what does that mean? Are you going to try and say more positive things to yourself every morning before school? Are you going to eat healthier or try a new makeup routine? There are so many ways to, “love yourself more” that the generalization means nothing and, as a result, the resolution falls flat.

Be more specific in what you want. If you want to be more organized, decide you’re going to vacuum and dust your room every week after you throw out all the trash and put away the clothes.

If you want to lose weight, don’t make that the general resolution, and don’t expect to drop 60 pounds by the end of January. Making small, meaningful changes that you can follow. I don’t expect anyone to go from eating Chick-fil-A everyday to an organic, vegan, sugar and fat-free diet. And if you expect yourself to fail, you will.

The key to keeping your resolution from an early death is to make small, specific changes to your life. And don’t forget that the new year isn’t the only time you can make resolutions. If you fall off your new cleaning routine in March, you can start again in April.