Given up on all hope of maintaining the resolution you were so fervent about back in January? Believe it or not, you can still make good on your New Year's Resolution. Happiness expert and sociologist Dr. Christine Carter shares how.

I've felt so good about the marginal, barely-measurable progress I've made in one month that I already have a 2014 "wish list" started.

For the sake of your New Year's resolution and your waistline, I'm here to tell you not to believe the hype about sugar. It, like everything else, can fit into a balanced diet in moderation. And if you have instituted a resolution to give it up and find yourself on the failing end, there's still hope.

If you can't seem to see the glass half-full, surround yourself with people that can. Find a supportive community; look for people with similar interests who understand you and will be able to provide you with the encouraging words you need to hear.

Pursuing a more authentic resolution is ultimately not only going to get results, but those results will last and not come crashing down as so often happens with typical resolutions like weight loss, giving up chocolate, working out every day, etc.

Calling something a resolution does not make it the parameter of how much resolve you have. The resolve behind the resolution is tempered by your own fears and guilt. Change your perceptions, see the benefits and drawbacks of your illusions and lay down those fears and guilt to rest.

The potential for making lasting New Year's resolutions was driven home to me during a recent walk around the pond, near my house.

Our goals (if we've created them correctly) are inspiring and attractive and exciting to us. But all those small steps to get there? Ugh.

It's hard to motivate yourself to adopt new habits, but it's even harder to rid yourself of old ones. More often than not, it's the latter that keep us from becoming the person we really want to be.

Which metros give you a fighting chance to get back into fighting shape? Instead of doing crunches at the gym, we've been sitting at our desks crunching the numbers to figure it out.

Second-guessing and doubting ourselves can be deadly. It kills our enthusiasm for embarking on a big project, getting involved in a new relationship, and the list goes on. When doubting yourself rears its ugly head, here are ways to put down the monster.

If you want to live out your passions, create a better life for yourself and those around you, and want real and meaningful success, you have to move. Period.