9 New Year's Resolutions That Are NOT Worth Making in 2018!

Now, before your brows completely furrow, hear me out! Pledging to prioritize fitness and get your butt into shape in the new year is an awesome goal. But here's the problem: "get in shape" is way too broad.

Rather than simply vowing to "get in shape," take the time to set a S.M.A.R.T. goal — one that is specific, measurable, attainable, results-focused, and time-bound. This way, you'll have more guidelines to measure progress and will in turn have more motivation to keep going once you start seeing results!

So before you set this resolutions in stone, think about what getting in shape looks like for you. Will 2018 be the year you'll run your first half-marathon? Try new workouts? Finally conquer a pull-up? (OK, that last one was mine, but you get the idea!) Whatever the resolution may be, remember: the more specific, the higher your chances are of crushing that goal.

Again, hear me out with this one! While I am 100 percent in support of anyone trying to spend less and save more, the reality of a resolution such as this is, again, too vague. To effectively build up your savings account, you'll need the assistance of a nicely defined budget so you can set a specific target goal and regularly track where your money is going.

To make things even easier for yourself, consider setting up automatic transfers so that a portion of your paycheck instantly goes into savings. This way, the deposit will have occurred even before you have had time to think of ways to spend those newly earned funds.

And if you're new to budgeting, don't worry. Here is a beginner's guide, as well as other effective tips for saving some major cash.

Thinking of cutting out carbs? Or chocolate? Or another one of your favorite foods? If so, I highly encourage you NOT to. Sure, take effective measures to cut back, but it's much easier to give in to temptations if you completely deprive yourself of that special something.

So instead of waving goodbye to your favorite foods for 365 days straight, set up a plan to treat yourself every so often. Whether it's a weekly or monthly indulgence, you'll be a lot more motivated to wait if you have specified days to work toward.

As entertaining as social media can be, we sometimes have a tendency to forget the highlight reel we're scrolling through is not real life. While it's easy to get caught up in how many likes, clicks, and followers our posts and photos attract, at the end of the day those numbers do NOT validate our self-worth.

This year, why not opt for making a resolution to disconnect a bit from digital devices and reconnect with people in real life? Even the smallest digital detox will make a difference.

Reining in an excessive happy-hour habit is another great resolution to make. But giving up alcohol for the entire year? Don't feel overly pressured to completely cut it out. Although alcohol is certainly not calorie-free, having a small glass of wine every now and then has actually been proven to benefit your health.

From strengthening your immune system against common colds to preventing age-related memory damage, as long as you indulge in moderation, consuming your favorite wine here and there can actually work in your favor. But if the idea of giving it up cold turkey truly intrigues you, why not try a 30-day challenge instead of a 365-day one?

As much as you might be yearning to meet that someone special, get in a relationship, or fall in love, this process cannot be forced; it ultimately must unfold naturally. So instead of a relationship being the end goal, consider making a resolution to meet new people in the coming year, while continuously getting to know the real you.

More often than not, when we stop seeking someone else and start nurturing the relationship that matters most — the one with ourselves — he or she then serendipitously stumbles onto our path.

Enticed by the idea of drinking nothing but pressed juice for weeks on end? I get it. Thanks to a number of celebrity endorsements over the last few years, "detox" juice fasts have become the king of cleanses. But before you pull the plug on solid foods, it's important to note juicing is not all it's cracked up to be. By extracting juice from fruits and vegetables, you're actually stripping away fiber, which puts you at risk for muscle loss, blood sugar spikes, and can even make you hungrier.

So instead of opting for just liquids, create a plan for healthy eating that revolves around recipes with whole foods. In fact, this two-week clean-eating plan will make you feel much cleaner and leaner than any liquid diet!

Now, if by saying "yes," you mean yes to more "you" time, more self-care, and more partaking in things that make you happy, then by all means . . . SAY "YES!"

But if the three-letter word is stemming from fear of missing out, I urge you combat the FOMO trap and say "no." Trust me, you'll become a much happier person — not to mention more relaxed — when you master the art of saying "no."

Although we continuously strive to evolve as individuals the older we grow, that goal can be extremely challenging to achieve when we haven't dealt properly with the past. Instead of solely dismissing the last 365 days or years prior, it is critical for your self-development to take time and evaluate what went wrong (and what went right!) so that you can keep marching forward. By embracing the past and learning from it, you can then plan better for all the greatness to come!