1 . The science of setting goals.

It’s the time of year when we think to ourselves: our New Year’s resolutions will totally work out this time.     1    . But what if this year really could be different? Kelly McGonigal, a psychologist, shares four tips.            

Choose a goal that matters, not just an easy win. Our brains love rewards, so we often set simple goals that make it easy to check off boxes. But if that’s all are about, no wonder we end up abandoning them so quickly. A meaningful goal requires going deeper.     2    . For example, if you want to quit eating junk food, ask why you want to quit it. Then, if you want to quit it for your health, ask why you want good health.

    3    .When we set goals, it’s easy to focus on that magical ending. But we can’t control outcomes. We have to inch toward them, one choice at a time. Ask yourself, “What is the smallest thing I can do today that helps me reach my goal?” If you make daily choices that are consistent with your goal over and over again, you will eventually reach it.

Frame your goals positively. Focusing on what you want to bring into your life –not what you want to avoid — will make you more likely to actually pursue it. “Any sort of avoidance is going to trigger inhibition systems.     4    ,” says McGonigal.

Prepare for failure. Moments of failure are inevitable, but most of us abandon the goal entirely when minor failures and setbacks start piling up. Your task is not to avoid failures, but to plan for them. Ask yourself, “How am I likely to fail?” For example, if you’re likely to choose unhealthy meals when you’re hungry, carry a light snack that can tide you over.     5    .

3 . Pursue Your Dreams Today, Not Tomorrow

Have you caught yourself daydreaming about your dreams? We often postpone our dreams, trapped in a cycle of delay. But why wait? You don’t have to take a huge, life-changing step.    1     You can take minute steps toward a brighter future. And start right now.

    2     If you never try, you’re going to be weighed down by your regrets. You’re always going to wonder how your life would’ve turned out if you actually took a chance on yourself. Don’t let your future self be disappointed by your present self.

It doesn’t matter how old you are or how many people have warned you that you’re never going to succeed. Even the most successful people have had their hesitations about whether they had what it took to make it in their field.     3     Embrace a mindset of determination, knowing that success is within your reach.

At the end of the day, you need to carve out a path for yourself that will lead to the most satisfaction. Don’t allow your fear to get the best of you, or you’re never going to forgive yourself.     4    It’s what you would encourage your friends to do, so why aren’t you giving yourself that same push.

Sometimes, following your dreams means spending a lot of your time each day. It may require making slight changes to your schedule, but you don’t have to sacrifice(牺牲)everything to follow your hearts.     5     If things go well, you can gradually make further shifts.

Pursue your dreams now, even though that means you might need to break out of your comfort zone, and even though it means entering the unknown.

4 . When Brody, a 4-year-old Connecticut boy, was asked what wish he wanted to come true, his only dream was that he could be able to play outside.

Brody was born premature (早产) at 27 weeks, which caused him to overheat and burn easily. That means he can't spend any time outside and he'll get burn blisters (水疱) on his face even when he is driven to the hospital. Besides, there are a lot of things he can't do. He has trouble walking and only began talking one year ago. Brody can't eat or drink and has to wear a backpack 24/7 that contains a pump that feeds him. “I can't even count the number of surgeries he's had since he was born,” Brody's mother said. “He's spent probably half his life at the hospital.”

When Make-A-Wish Connecticut, an organization that creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses, heard about Brody's request to play outside, they immediately jumped into action. “It's the most simple, most sweet wish, just to play outside but it seems to be the most difficult to realize.” said Debbie Artinian, the manager of Make-A-Wish Connecticut.

Artinian and her team determined that a temperature-controlled tent outside Brody's home where he could play and not be in the sun would be the best option. But they had to find a tent that could stand weather conditions like wind and snow and had the right material to block all UV rays. Luckily, Artinian found a company based in the United Kingdom that could design and make the tent. Make-A-Wish Connecticut learnt that Brody loves the beach, even though he is not able to go into water because of his backpack. So they filled the tent with water toys and a kids’ pool filled with balls to make Brody feel as much as possible like he's out at the beach.

Brody got his first look at the tent earlier this summer. “When he walked out of the door and I saw his face, it was just everything,” said Artinian. “Now when Brody says ‘Can I go out and play?’, his mom can say, “Yes.” “Brody is now enjoying spending nearly all his time "outside” in the tent.

It's hard to make life completely normal for Brody, but Artinian and her team tried to make it as normal as they could.