If you found your way to this post, you’re probably like those of us who set great new year’s resolutions, but rarely keep them. Your intentions are great, but somewhere in between the newness of January to March, the settling in of April to August and the September through December feeling of being ready for it to be over things fall apart. Sure one or two things may have been accomplished, but there are always those ones that carry over.
Reasons for why can vary and only you know the reasons why. It’s possible that some of your resolutions are a bit ambitious for where you are in your life at the moment, it could be that you’re not organized – everything is in your head instead of written down where you can track your accomplishments. Maybe you’re someone who gives up because things don’t happen fast enough for you. Whatever the reason, you’re here because you want change. Check out and implement these 5 tips for setting and keeping your new years resolutions to make this year rock.
1. Focus on the Change You Want To See
Before you set any new year’s resolutions, you have to first ask yourself what do you want to resolve? What’s most important to you? Do you want to make a career change? Go back to school? Lose weight? The world is yours, but the key to you have to get clear on how you want and how it will manifest in your life.
2. Set Attainable Resolutions
Another thing you’ll need to keep your new year’s resolutions is to set goals that are within in your reach. For instance, let’s say at the top of your list is losing weight – instead of saying you want to lose “x” amount of pounds, start by setting your goal towards better eating habits, or increasing the amount of exercise you’re getting.
Keeping your new year’s resolutions is about setting ones you can follow through with. Align them with your ultimate purpose then create momentum through small wins as you move through the year.
3. Write It Down
Write the vision, make it plain (Habakkuk 2:2). What is the resolution, and what steps do you need to take to get there? Taking the example from above, is there meal planning involved? Do you need a workout plan or can you freestyle it in the gym? Will a personal trainer help? How much time per week do you have to dedicate? Break your resolutions down into daily, weekly, or monthly actions. Create small goals that serve as building blocks to the larger ones. This will keep you from becoming overwhelmed which is ultimately what leads you to giving up on your resolutions all together.
4. Track Your Success
Using the list you created, each time you complete one of your new year’s resolutions put a star by it, then celebrate the win. One of the biggest mistakes people make when setting any goal outside of not writing it down somewhere where they can see it is not acknowledging when it’s reached. It’s easy to get caught in the big picture, but when you do that you forgetting about the small successes in between. You’re watching the scale, not realizing it’s the inches that are melting away or vice versa. Tracking your success allows you to see just how far you’ve come and how close you are to completing your ultimate goal.
5. Have Fun
Trust the process and enjoy yourself. If you’re not having fun, why are you doing it? Sure, setting new year’s resolutions is often a serious thing. They’re the changes we want to see in our lives during the year, but don’t get so caught up in the end that you miss the lessons and the blessings that take place throughout the journey. Be focused, but be present and take it all in. Most people never put in a piece of the effort. The fact that your are puts you ahead of the game.
Have you successfully completed new year’s resolutions you’ve set in the past? Comment below and share you success!
