To achieve resolutions, action plan needed

CHICAGO, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Many New Year's resolutions have been forgotten by now but a U.S. therapist suggests every moment holds the possibility for positive change.

Dr. Kimberly Dennis, medical director of Timberline Knolls -- who treats women struggling from eating disorders, substance abuse and mood disorders - says she believes a New Year's resolution is simply a goal declared at the start of the year. However, by taking appropriate steps, resolutions can be realized at any time.

"When we think of possibilities, we begin to dream of who we can become," Dennis says in a statement. "We see this time as a chance for renewal -- for with a New Year is an opportunity to embrace change and use the season of new beginnings as a way to ignite our good intentions by developing resolutions to guide us on our journey to new places."

Resolutions are goals, and when it comes to goals, a plan of action is needed, Dennis says. Setting a goal without taking any action ends in the same result as if the goal had never been set in the first place.

To reach goals, Dennis recommends:

-- Make specific, non-broad goals.

-- Commitment with a plan of action.

-- Set clear and achievable steps within this plan of action.

-- Allow other people to help.

-- Believe in a power greater than yourself.