This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Montana chapter.
It’s that time of year again. No, it’s not New Years or swimsuit season: it’s Lent, a time when even the most anti-religious of us can unite around giving something up for 40 days. Unfortunately, my Lent resolutions usually end up quite like those of two months ago (has it only been two months!) and fall to the wayside within a few weeks…okay, days.
This time I’m determined to keep my resolutions, and I encourage you to do the same. Here are a few ways to beat the odds:
- Tell people about your resolution. The more people who know about what you’ve given up (or decided to do more, see: going to the gym) the more likely you are to succeed. If you’re reminded about your resolution by those around you, you’ll be less likely to slip up.
- Don’t pick something unattainable. If you say you’re going to go to the gym every day or stop smoking cigarettes cold turkey when you haven’t been to the gym in three years and smoke a pack-a-day you’re probably not going to be very successful. Set your sights on something more accessible, like going to the gym three times a week.
- Write it down, everywhere. If you wake up in the morning to “eat less sugar” written on your bathroom mirror and you’re probably not going to reach for that bowl of Lucky Charms as quickly. Write your resolution on your hand, in your planner and on sticky notes and they’ll serve as a constant reminder of what you’re trying to achieve.
- If you fail once, try again. Oops… you ate seven cookies when you said you were going to cut out sweets, its okay. Don’t let one slip-up deter you from restarting your resolution. You can do it!