There isn’t a soul among us who has lived their life free of the “New Year’s resolution trap.” You make some giant goal and fail to keep it because it is unrealistic or you haven’t owned it. You’re not alone; by June, 54% of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned. How do you avoid this trap? Here are four ways to make your resolutions stick:

1. Specify It

When you make broad goals, you are more likely to dump them in a flash. The more specific you are about your goals, the more likely you are to achieve them. Replace ”Lose weight” with “Eat dessert only twice a week.” Replace “be more intimate with my husband” with “add a weekly date night to our lives.” Replace “ascend in my company” with “learn everything I can about a new area of the business.” Replace “expand my network” with “reach out to two new contacts every Thursday.” When you put actions behind your goals, they happen.

2. Own It

When you start telling friends and colleagues your goals, they come to fruition. Sara, a divorced mother of two children under age three, works at a Costco in Canada. When she called my radio show for advice, she explained that she is an hourly worker with zero visibility into her schedule, which makes childcare a challenge. She told me that this will change when she becomes a manager and that her ultimate goal is to be a member of the sales team in the Costco corporate office. She then explained that she has told everyone she reports to and works with that this is her goal. Guess what? I’m betting on Sara. This is the practical version of “putting it out in the universe.” It works.

3. Ask for it

Want more money? Ask for the raise. Want a different job title? Tell your boss. As Wall Street maven Sallie Krawcheck describes it, “In all the year’s I worked on Wall Street, not every gentleman asked for a raise or a bonus, but most of them did, and not a single woman ever did.” Ask for the money. People are too busy and too focused on themselves to think of your goals and your needs. So rather than waiting for someone to shine the light on you, do it for them. The old adage, “ask and you shall receive” works — most of the time.

4. Surround It

When you are surrounded by people who are negative, they bring you down. When you are surrounded by people who don’t dream big, your dreams diminish along with theirs. So the equation is simple; surround yourself by positive and supportive people who have big goals and make things happen. How do you find them? You probably know many of them already. Look at your circle of friends and colleagues and ask yourself which ones make you feel awesome inside. Spend more time with them. Voila.

To read this article on Forbes, please click here.

Samantha Ettus is a bestselling author & corporate speaker. The Pie Life: A Guilt-Free Recipe for Success and Satisfaction will be released in September.