It’s that time of the year again- time to make New Year’s resolutions. We go into the new year with intentions to ‘start anew and be a better you’. Yet, so many times we find ourselves setting goals only to find out that they are near impossible to maintain. How can we overcome the inevitable burnout after two weeks of renouncing soft drinks or rigorous training at the gym? With some simple steps, your New Year’s resolutions can easily become part of your daily routine!
Picking A Resolution
Reflect on the past year, and think about some of your missteps. What could you do better? What did you not do enough of? What are your weaknesses? Are you making this resolution for yourself, or to serve others? What is a realistic goal, and what is an unrealistic one? These are just a couple of questions you should be asking yourself as you decide on your new resolution.
Don’t Pick Too Many
It’s perfectly fine to come up with one, or two things you want to work on in the new year, but having a laundry list of resolutions is, at best, unrealistic. Sure, you could try to keep eight resolutions at once, but it may take away from giving your attention to others. Pick one or two, and give them your all.
Write it Down
If you’re like me, nothing get’s done unless its written with pen and paper. Post your resolution on your bulletin board, or on the mirror in your bathroom as a daily resolution reminder. Not only is writing down your resolution important, but journaling about your experience and progress with your resolution could be beneficial, as well.
Don’t Give up
Letting a curse word slip here and there doesn’t mean that you completely failed your resolution to stop swearing. Be real with yourself- you may falter every once in a while. Don’t beat yourself up- nobody’s perfect. Getting back on track is easier than you think!
Make It Specific
So many times I have heard people with generic resolutions such as, “I want to be more outgoing!” or “I want to lose weight!”. Think about yourself personally. What do you need to do to lose weight? Do you want to lose a certain amount? What is your motivation behind losing the weight? Will you set personal rules for yourself that will help you to lose the weight? Being general with your resolutions will make them more difficult to follow, so make sure to be specific.
Accountability is Key
Have a friend, family member or loved one hold you accountable. If the two of you have the same resolution, then work together. Having someone to talk to about your struggles and successes of having a resolution is beneficial. Even if you have different resolutions, you can still hold each other accountable!
One Year, Not Enough?
Sometimes a year isn’t enough time for you to fully commit to the lifestyle change that comes along with making a resolution. Do you think that you could have done better? Do you still have a desire to continue that resolution? Sometimes, you’ll even want to take that resolution to the next level. Was your resolution to be a vegetarian for a year? Did you succeed? If so, why not try to become vegan now? This is just one example for how you can take a resolution to the next step.