New year’s resolutions come naturally to some but sticking with them is the hardest part.
At the beginning of each new year, 1 in 4 people makes a list of new year’s resolutions -always with the hopes of achieving every one. As the year continues to progress, people slowly lose sight of the goals they once had because they “don’t have time” or knew they “couldn’t do it.” Tasks can be as simple as reading more, but if you’re not fully committed, and haven’t taken the proper steps, this may never happen. Provided below are 6 things every person should do to bring them one step closer to achieving their resolutions.
- Be realistic
- You will never be able to achieve a goal that is uncharacteristic of your lifestyle – at least not without a lot of effort. If you make it something that you could actually see yourself accomplishing, you’re more likely to follow through with the plan.
- Make it manageable
- Everyone is motivated by progress. That progress can be as small as reading five more pages than you usually do. Seeing that accomplishment will motivate a person to keep trying. Make your resolution something that you can manage. If your goal is more physical training, set a schedule for yourself: For the first three weeks you workout three days a week. You can add on rather than being overwhelmed initially.
- Don’t give up
- It’s so easy to get off track and just decide to quit. But no matter how many days you didn’t do or took off, you can always get back on track. Say your resolution was to read more, but because you don’t have a routine yet, you’re too busy to read for a whole two weeks. That doesn’t mean you should stop trying to read altogether. You can get back on track just DON’T GIVE UP.
- Write down why
- Putting your intentions on paper makes them more real, and it can help you better understand why you wanted to do it in the first place. When you lose motivation, you can look back on this to remember why you wanted it in the first place. At one point, this resolution/goal was very important to you, and it’s important that you have a way to remember why.
- Establish a plan
- The best way to get anything done is by setting up a plan. Map out your goals and create a plan that builds each week. Stress is a surefire way to kill the goal. As soon as you get overwhelmed you want to quit. With a plan in place, not only will you feel less stressed, but you will also have a way to keep yourself accountable.
- Focus on one at a time
- Oftentimes people make a list of new year’s resolutions. Trying to accomplish them all at the same time is daunting and time-consuming. Not all resolutions need to be started right away in January. Once one resolution has become a habit or lifestyle, the next resolution can be worked on.
Hopefully, these steps help you next time you’re creating a list of resolutions. And always remember, no goal is too small!
