NATCHEZ &8212; In order to keep a New Year&8217;s resolution, you have to make one.

But many folks have given up on the concept altogether.

Wisner, La., resident Samantha Douglas said she didn&8217;t even bother making a resolution this year.

&8220;I know I&8217;m not going to do it,&8221; she said while shopping in Natchez Monday. &8220;I have to be realistic. I&8217;ve tried making one to eat healthier. That didn&8217;t even last the first month.&8221;

Patty Woods of Natchez said she&8217;s never had much success keeping past resolutions and didn&8217;t make one this year.

&8220;They were always the same, to become a better person and achieve more than I did the year before,&8221; she said.

But it&8217;s better to make a resolution and fail than to give up trying altogether, local psychologist Patricia Pintard said.

&8220;Everybody at this time of year is invested in making new starts,&8221; she said. &8220;Most of the experts agree you have to start small.&8221;

With that goal in mind, Pintard said everyone&8217;s primary resolution should be to sit down and map out a plan for individual resolutions.

&8220;Plan ahead, set the date. Maybe your first commitment would be just to make the plan,&8221; she said.

Big resolutions don&8217;t last, she said. And breaking the resolution in one day doesn&8217;t mean it&8217;s broken for the year.

&8220;Don&8217;t let a lapse become a relapse,&8221; she said. &8220;Remember it takes three weeks to break a bad habit or establish a good habit.

&8220;Three weeks is a magical number. If you can just maintain a small commitment for three weeks your success will feed on itself.&8221;

Natchez resident Sheena Johnson said she&8217;s been making resolutions since she was about 15, and she&8217;s never had trouble keeping them.

&8220;Just keep it in mind,&8221; she said. &8220;I make resolutions that are going to help me in the long run.&8221;

Last year, the goal was to work out more, and Johnson maintained a three-day a week workout routine all year. This year, the plan is to go to church more and work harder on her appearance &8212; avoid ponytails every day.

Eldrick Young, 21, has more of a goal than a resolution, but he says he&8217;s going to make it happen.

&8220;To move away and start school in Houston and get a house,&8221; he said. &8220;(First,) I have to graduate from Co-Lin and save up money.&8221;