December brings sparkly snow, sparkly lights and sparkly New Year’s Resolutions to become a whole sparkly new you. But each year, 23% of people give up on their New Year’s resolutions within the first week, 43% by the end of January and 80% by the end of February. Failure can then lead to loss of self-esteem and potentially giving up on those goals altogether. Here’s how to create New Year’s resolutions that will help you reach your overall goals.
Make Short Term Resolutions
Instead of deciding this was the year you would start/stop a certain activity forever, try giving yourself a shorter time frame. For example, instead of “I will stop eating out.” try “I will stop eating out during the week.” This will make it easier to achieve while still making progress towards your goal. Also make a plan to check in throughout the year. Instead of waiting until the following January, maybe check-in after 3 or 6 months to see where you are at with your resolutions. You can then modify them and get started at achieving them again.
Create Smaller Resolutions
Creating more realistic goals is key to achieving your new year’s resolutions. For example, instead of “go to the gym everyday” try “go to the gym 5 times in January”. You may have wanted to go everyday but life happens and achieving this smaller goal is still progress. And making regular progress will help keep you motivated to working towards your goals.
Include Journaling
Taking a moment to check in with yourself can help you understand what it is you are really trying to achieve. Here are some journal prompts related to resolutions:
What are the reasons behind your resolutions? Who can you reach out to help you achieve it? How do you feel about getting started? What struggles are you having getting started? Is there anything that you thought would be hard and it turned out easy? What will you consider progress?
Don’t Go at it Alone
No matter the New Year’s Resolution, there are communities and experts that can help. If your resolution is to be healthier, you may want to meet with your doctor and see if they have advice. Your resolution may be to get more organized. There are apps with cleaning schedules that can help. If you have a friend that has similar goals, working together can help you both be successful.
Give Yourself Grace
Change is hard. Maybe this wasn’t your day, your week, your month–but you can still make it your year. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you mess up. Start again with the tips above and keep working towards it. Take it a day at a time and give yourself grace when needed.
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