Oprah's Weighty Admission

I'm sure you've heard Oprah Winfrey's recent announcement regarding her weight gain. Apparently the daytime talk show icon has put on 40 pounds during the past two years. This may come as a surprise to many as she has often promoted a healthy lifestyle both on her show and throughout her media empire.

While I wish Oprah the best, I think there are some good tips we can take from her predicament that can apply to your New Year's Resolutions.

1. It's good to announce goals for things like losing weight and living a healthy lifestyle. But if you fall off the wagon, it can hurt your credibility. There's a difference between telling a friend and telling everyone you know. A lot of people live to say, "I told you so!" when you come up short.

2. Get people to support you not only with your goal but with helping you after you've achieved your objective. Without that goal in your mind, it's easy to slip into old habits.

3. Resources don't guarantee success. Oprah has all the money in the world, access to experts, but still gained weight. She could literally pay a team to follow her around and keep the wrong foods from entering her mouth (Oprah: Call me if you're hiring). Having access to resources, financial and otherwise does not guarantee change. That motivation, which comes from inside you, is priceless.