Have you made some New Year’s Resolutions? But aren’t sure how you will keep them any better this year than you did last year?

Here’s a tongue-in-cheek look at some of the top New Year’s resolutions.

Resolution No. 1: Quit Smoking. This is always a Catch-22 of a resolution. Many people smoke because of stress. Resolutions often cause stress especially if you have declared your resolutions publicly. If a person makes a few slips in his or her resolution that increases stress. If your resolution is to stop smoking and this resolution is stressing you out, you may end up smoking more. The best way to quit smoking: Resolve not to quit smoking. There’s less stress and you’re more likely to actually quit smoking.

Resolution No. 2: Lose weight. Many people make this resolution after the five- to 10-pound weight gain by the conclusion of the holidays. This resolution often lasts long enough to lose the five or 10 pounds put on by the holidays. It doesn’t last long enough, however, to lose all of the excess from the rest of the year’s lack of dieting and exercise. Resolve to lose the holiday weight gain and then you may feel like a success. Perhaps, this success will lead some to lose even more weight.

Resolution No. 3: Spend more time with family and friends. The problem with this resolution is that it often comes following too much time spent in too close quarters with too many family members and old friends. After the holidays, many people are ready to get back to the long hours of work and the office just to get a break from the family. Spend more time with family and friends? Don’t worry the next holiday season will be here before you know it.

Resolution No. 4: Exercise more. Do two reps of 10 curls while holding this article. Put the article down, take 10 laps around the recliner, and see Resolution No. 2.

Resolution No. 5: Quit drinking. This is a popular resolution for the New Year, especially the morning of Jan. 1, after the New Year’s Eve parties. It is also a popular resolution throughout the year, made by people with hangovers. Sadly, people often have more sense when they are hungover than they do later upon feeling better and drinking again. Perhaps, the resolution should be to stop getting hungover and the rest will take care of itself. Cheers.

Resolution No. 6: Get out of debt. Resolve to quit smoking, quit drinking, quit eating so much, walk instead of buying so much gas. Then, keep those resolutions and likely this resolution will take care of itself.

Resolution No. 7: Learn something new. Valdosta’s latitude is 30.50 N; longitude, 83.17 W. There you have learned something new. That’s one resolution accomplished.

Resolution No. 8: Help others. One of the best ways to help others in the weeks to come is to not whine about failing to keep any resolutions. If you can do this then you have kept another resolution while making the world a little better place to live.

Resolution No. 9: Get organized. Get a pencil and paper. Retrieve all of your bills, your work schedules, all files, important papers, insurance documents, bank statements, personal letters, tax forms, recipes, books, etc. Now prioritize by making lists of each thing. Wait a minute … where did I put that pencil and paper?

Resolution No. 10: Enjoy life more. If you must make resolutions, be prepared for some days when you fail at your goals. When those days come, forgive yourself of the lapse and continue keeping your resolution. Do this and it’s a good bet you will enjoy life more.