It’s December which means soon enough we’ll hear all about everyone’s new year resolutions. However, only a few will pull through. If you’re looking for ways to make sure you’re not one of those people, here are some tips that might help.
1. Start Early
It’s never too early to start thinking about how you’d like to improve yourself and/or your life. Starting early can help you get organized and have a clear vision going into the new year. This could mean something as simple as writing down some possible resolutions and choosing which ones would be the most do-able. If you’re feeling a bit ambitious, you can start giving some activities a try. For example, if you have a certain fitness goal, you can start trying out some workouts or new foods.
2. Be Specific About Your Goals
The more specific, the better. Add notes, make a plan for each, give yourself deadlines. This will make it easier to keep up and hold yourself accountable. Breaking up your resolutions into quarterly goals can also prevent them from getting overwhelming. Getting a planner is a great way to do this.
3. Write Them Down
Sure, you’ve probably given some thought to what you’d like to do, but odds are if you get a really good idea, you’ll forget it by tomorrow. Writing down your thoughts and what you’d like to accomplish can help keep you on track by giving you something to look back at throughout the year. Tip: purchase a journal that you can look at/add onto throughout the year. By the end of the year, you’ll have an entire journal to reflect on and show for your growth.
4. Stop Being Afraid of Checking Your Bank Account and Your Grades.
We’re all guilty of it, but putting off checking the results we might not want to see is only putting off our potential growth. As scary as it might be, you being scared won’t change the facts. If you have financial goals, academic goals, physical goals, or even emotional goals, knowing the current state of affairs is helpful when planning your next steps. Rip the bandaid off- it’s the first step to improving.
5. Be Purposeful.
Throughout the year, it’s likely you’ll be running on auto-pilot at one point or another. When you catch yourself doing so, ask yourself: is this action bring me closer to my goals? If the answer is yes, then great! If the answer is no, then it’s a chance to readjust your focus and start practicing behaving in a way that will feed your purpose.