It seems like just yesterday we were ringing in a brand new year. If you’re anything like me, you probably suffer from Unrealistic Resolution Syndrome (n): the idea that your life will drastically change and you’ll accomplish everything you’ve hoped for once that ball drops. I think it’s time for me to evaluate what’s realistic and what isn’t.
I made three goals at the stroke of midnight on January 1st: get back into shape the way I was in high school, to lose my addiction to skipping class, and to read more novels. Of course, on paper these goals sound pretty easy to accomplish, but any life change takes a great deal of time and effort. In reality, I’ll probably fall off track multiple times. The real goal is to make some sort of progress.
With that being said, here are some tips and tricks to keep up with what you told yourself you were going to change throughout the year:
- Think about your goal. Then, think about a realistic version of said goal.
- Okay, so maybe the idea that I’m going to definitely hit the gym every single day is a little out of my league—I started the year as a literal potato chip. Is it realistic for me to go from 0 to 100 that quick? Probably not. Instead, start out slow. I decided to take it down a notch and try to work out 3 to 4 times a week. I’ve created a cardio circuit that switches between running and walking which should help me build over time. This way, I’m more likely than not to actually stick to this plan.
- Create a visual plan and keep it in front of you.
- One of the best ways (for me) to stick to a goal is to whip out the artistic abilities (or lack of—it doesn’t really matter if it’s not an authentic Picasso) and create a visual collage of everything I vision for the future. You can draw a pyramid of each step toward your goal on a poster board and hang it by your desk; collage work pieces together as a visual of what you want to accomplish while channeling your inner creative outlet
- Reward yourself.
- Nothing motivates me more than a small bribe or prize. Sure, maybe rewarding myself with a Black Tap milkshake every time I go to the gym is counterproductive, but there’s definitely some sort of balance you can achieve. For every week I attend every single class (sounds pathetically easy but believe me—it’s hard), I reward myself by buying another Touch Tunes credit for happy hour. Setting small rewards will satisfy your needs while motivating you to stay on track at the same time.
- Accept that you will fail. Then, get back up.
- There’s nothing wrong with getting off-track. In fact, it probably already happened to a majority of resolution advocates around Groundhog Day. The challenge is to find your way back after recognizing you’ve veered off. Oftentimes, I’ll become so overwhelmed about catching up to my goals that I actually shut down and scratch the idea altogether. It’s better to simply adjust your pace. For example, if I plan to read 50 books by June, and I find myself extremely behind, it’s better to just work with what I can and keep going. If that means I end up with 20 books instead of 50, that’s still better than 0.
Basically, just take it slow. If you’re passionate about these resolutions enough to create them, you should channel that energy into accomplishing as much as you can—even if you find yourself struggling along the way.