Each new year brings fresh starts, clean slates, and fitness centers that are so crowded that the primary form of cardio is sprinting from one machine to the next so you can snag it before someone else notices that it’s up for grabs. But like clockwork, when mid-February rolls around, the crowd of born again exercise gurus begins to dwindle and new year’s resolutions become quickly forgotten, just like they did last year. So this time, let’s start big: be the best you can possibly be and your smaller, more specific ambitions will soon fall into place.
Dream Big.
Shel Silverstein said it best when he wrote: “Listen to the mustn’ts child, listen to the don’t, listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts, listen to the never haves, then listen close to me—anything can happen, child. Anything can be.” It’s easy to unintentionally limit yourself to the standards that others set for you. This year, why not reach beyond your preliminary goals and dream for the seemingly impossible? At the very least, you’ll push yourself to discover new possibilities and skills you previously never knew you had. Then, just maybe, with constant motivation, hard work, and a little bit of luck, you’ll actually achieve your impossible dream.
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Stay Positive.
We all have bad moods and bad days, but when things aren’t going your way and your resolutions are getting harder to keep, don’t let yourself slip into a permanent slump. Go have some fun, laugh a little, or watch the newest set of videos gone viral on YouTube. Not only will people be drawn to you hoping to get a piece of the happiness contagion, but your mind will be freer to create ideas or find solutions previously clouded by negativity. This year, when dreams start to feel to big, turn to optimism instead of giving up with the rest of the mid-February crowd.
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Be Brave.
Embarrassment is a pointless feeling that serves as a roadblock on the path to being your best you. Achievements are reached by taking risks and facing the uncomfortable. Sometimes limitations are just a figment of imagination. This year, focus on your goals, and don’t let fear leave you blind or running in the other direction.
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Keep Motivated.
Motivation always seems to be the thorn in every new year resolution’s side. So this time, try something new. Put Post Its on your mirror, write notes on your computer desktop, make a mental list of every reason for achieving your goals, and consult your best motivational quote when you start to slack. Believe in yourself, and others will believe in you also.
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In the long run, slow and steady wins the race. Taking gradual steps, trying different approaches, and applying a multifaceted lifestyle change plan might just be the key to stick to your New Year’s Resolution once and for all. Specific changes like eating healthy or losing weight start with big and general alterations in the way you think and act. Train yourselves in these broad arenas, be the best you can possibly be, and the more tedious tasks will be easier to tackle.
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