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MorethanhalfofAmer- icans, reportedly, make New Year's resolutions. And 88 per- cent of those resolutions end in fail- ure, accord- ing to a study by Brit- ish psycholo- gist Richard Wiseman. There is a scientific rea- son for this fail rate, and once we understand, we'll be able to keep our resolu- tions long enough to make them stick. The bottom line is that our brains cannot handle New Year's resolutions. No, seriously. It has to do with willpower and our brains' cells that operate that par- ticular mental function. The human brain is di- vided up into sections — each one handling dif- ferent aspects of brain function. The pre-frontal cortex (the part located at the front behind your fore- head) is assigned the tasks of 1) staying focused 2) handling short-term mem- ory 3) solving abstract tasks and 4) willpower. Here's the problem: That part of your brain cannot handle all of those things at the same time. It requires a huge amount of focus and willpower to change a learned behavior overnight, which is what a New Year's resolution de- mands. Bad habits are hard to break — and they're im- possible to break if we try to break them all at once. The focus and willpower required are just too much for the human brain. It simply cannot deliver. The human pre-fron- tal cortex is like a mus- cle. It has to be trained. If you joined a local gym, you would never dream of starting out lifting a 300-pound barbell on your first session. You'd start with a 2-pound weight for a 2-minute session, work- ing up slowly to heavier weights and longer peri- ods of endurance. Trying to keep a New Year's resolution to quit smoking or lose a bunch of weight, is expecting your pre-frontal cortex to pick up the equivalent of a 300-pound barbell on the first attempt — and to keep doing it for hours on end. It's just not possible. Typically, New Year's res- olutions go something like this: I am going to lose 20 pounds; I'm going to get out of debt, stop smok- ing, get organized, give up sugar, or run two miles a day. Does anything there sound at all familiar? Those are abstract goals that your brain cannot handle. They are too vague. Here's the secret for how to make your New Year's resolution stick, ac- cording to B.J. Fogg, Ph.D., director of the Persua- sive Tech Lab at Stanford University: Make the res- olution a habit first. And break it down to a tiny habit to start. Strong willpower is not a character trait. Accept it. And don't make the mis- take of dumping the idea of making a New Year's resolution. Just don't de- pend on willpower. Instead, depend on these four steps to make your New Year's resolution stick: Step 1: Pick only one resolution. Your brain can- not handle more than one. Accept it. Analyze every- thing you've thought about to change and pick the one thing that's most impor- tant to you. Step 2: Take baby steps. Make it tiny, even ridicu- lously so. A good tiny be- havior is easy to do and fast. Think: walk for three minutes, or do two push- ups. Floss one tooth. Any of those actions may sound useless, but his is the way to get started. Your brain will thank you by suggesting in due time that you increase that to a four-minute walk or that you floss two teeth. Step 3: Become account- able. Write down what you want to change. That makes you more likely to succeed with your new habit, and increases your overall happiness as well. Tell others. Social support is beneficial. So is account- ability. Step 4: Give your- self positive feedback. Or seek that from your ac- countability group. Re- ward yourself with things that make you feel great. Positive feedback will in- crease your success rate and strengthen your desire to keep going by taking on another baby step. And an- other and another all the way to permanent and glo- rious change. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Why resolutions fail and how to make them work HEATHERHOELSCHER-DAILYNEWS From le are Mayor Clay Parker, council members Suran Patel and Rob Schmid, Police Chief Kyle Sanders and Officer Matt Coker. Red Bluff Police Chief Kyle Sanders Tuesday in- troduced Officer Matt Coker, who was recognized for hard work and length of service with the city. Mayor Clay Parker pre- sented Coker with a cer- tificate of appreciation for his service in the police de- partment. Coker has been with the Red Bluff Police Depart- ment as a full-time em- ployee for five years. Coker started as a re- serve officer, where he did numerous hours, Sanders said. Coker immediately made an impact in the de- partment, so within a year he won the Officer of the Year award. "We are very happy to have him and appreciate his five years of service," Sanders said. Cokerrecognizedforhisservice AWARD The Shasta Historical Society, in collaboration with ViVA Downtown and Far Nor Cal GIS, has em- barked upon a project ti- tled A Walk through His- tory. This self-guided digi- tal walking tour through Downtown Redding will highlight historically sig- nificant sites. The tour uses technology to bring history to your fingertips. The walk will be un- veiled at 1:30 p.m. Saturday starting at Old City Hall. It is free to attend. Eight sites have been carefully chosen for the kick-off of this tour, includ- ing the Shasta Historical Society building, the Bank of Shasta, Old City Hall, Behrens-Eaton House, In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows—Reading Lodge, the Lorenz Hotel, the Cas- cade Theatre, the Bank of Shasta County and the Di- estelhorst Bridge. Users will be able to ac- cess the self-guided walk- ing tour two different ways: in person using a Quick Response (QR) code and at home by visiting www.shastahistorical.org. A sign featuring a QR code will be placed at each lo- cation. Information about the eight historic sites will be available beginning Satur- day. Anyone can partici- pate. All you need to do is scan the QR code with a QR reader application on a smart phone or tablet on an A Walk through History sign at one of the buildings or visit www.shastahis- torical.org. Everyone will be able to take the tour at any time. The Shasta Historical Society was formed on Jan. 18, 1930. For more in- formation, visit shastahis- torical.org. HISTORY Self-guided tour offered through Redding's past The Wall That Heals, a 250-foot replica of the Viet- nam Veterans Memorial, along with a mobile edu- cation center, is coming to Willows on Feb. 25-28 at Memorial Park, 525 Syca- more St. and will be free and open to the public. The Wall That Heals honors the more than 3 million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed forces during the Vietnam War and its walls bear the names of the more than 58,000 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is the most vis- ited memorial in the Na- tion's Capital, with more than 4 million visitors each year. However, many Americans have not been able to visit what has be- come known to many as "The Wall." The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the organization that built The Wall, wants to give all veterans and their family members all across Amer- ica an opportunity to see the memorial. "Taking The Wall That Heals on the road gives thousands more veterans and their family mem- bers an opportunity to see The Wall and honor those who have served and sac- rificed so much," said Jim Knotts, CEO. "It helps vet- erans from all of Ameri- ca's conflicts to find heal- ing and a powerful connec- tion through their common military experiences." Since its debut in 1996, more than 2 million peo- ple have visited The Wall That Heals sites. It has made stops in nearly 400 U.S. communities in addi- tion to an April 1999 tour of the Four Provinces of Ireland and a visit to Can- ada in 2005. Hosting The Wall That Heals provides a commu- nity with a multi-day ex- perience that includes an educational experience for local schools and organiza- tions on the history of the Vietnam era and The Wall. The exhibit includes a mobile education center comprised of photos of service members whose names are found on The Wall; letters and memo- rabilia left at The Wall in D.C.; a map of Vietnam and a chronological over- view of the conflict in Viet- nam. The exhibits tell the story of the Vietnam War, The Wall and the era sur- rounding the conflict, and are designed to put Amer- ican experiences in Viet- nam in a historical and cultural context. The Wall That Heals will be open 24 hours a day be- ginning Feb. 25. There is no charge for admission. The replica Wall is about 250 feet in length, and like the original memorial is erected in a chevron- shape. The replica is con- structed of powder-coated aluminum, supported by an aluminum frame, and is made up of 24 individ- ual panels, each contain- ing six columns of names. For more information, visit www.thewallthatheals.org. To learn more about VVMF and the Education Center at The Wall, visit www. vvmf.org or call 866-990- WALL. WALL THAT HEALS Vietnam memorial coming to Willows Mary Hunt PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. You're there for Mom. We're here for you. Connect with experts and other caregivers aarp.org/caregiving 1.877.333.5885 You may be eligible to claim the premium tax credit on your 2015 in- come tax return. The pre- mium tax credit helps eli- gible individuals and fam- ilies with low or moderate income afford health in- surance. Millions of people who purchased their cover- age through a health insur- ance Marketplace are eligi- ble for premium assistance through the premium tax credit, which individuals chose to either have paid upfront to their insurers as advance payments to lower their monthly premiums or receive when they file their taxes. If you received the ben- efit of advance credit pay- ments, you must file a fed- eral tax return and rec- oncile the advance credit payments with the actual premium tax credit you are eligible to claim on your re- turn. Failing to file your tax return to reconcile advance payments will prevent you from receiving advance credit payments in future years. You will use IRS Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit to make this comparison and to claim the credit. If your advance credit pay- ments are in excess of the amount of the premium tax credit you are eligible for, based on your actual in- come, you must repay some or all of the excess when you file your return, subject to certain caps. If you or anyone on your tax return enrolled in health coverage through the Health Insurance Mar- ketplace, you should re- ceive Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement from your Mar- ketplace form by early Feb- ruary. Use the information from Form 1095-A to file your taxes accurately. Visit the PTC Eligibility page on IRS.gov/aca or use the interactive tool Am I el- igible to claim the Premium Tax Credit? on IRS.gov to determine your eligibility. For more informa- tion about the Affordable Care Act and filing your 2015 income tax return, visit IRS.gov/aca.ware.tr eligibility. 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