Does anyone else like to come up with a few New Year’s Resolutions every year? During the month of December, I catch myself doing a lot of thinking about what things I would like to set as goals for myself for the upcoming year. I think a lot of people get overwhelmed when someone asks them what their resolutions are going to be, since a lot of us tend to be hard on ourselves and can list plenty of things we want to change or fix. However, this is where I’d like to remind you to show yourself some love and patience. We should never aim for perfection because it is simply not attainable. We are human and still lovable despite whatever our flaws may be. My suggestion to you this year when coming up with resolutions would be to only pick three to five things that mean the most to you and focus on them. When I was younger, it seemed that after the first few weeks of the new year had flown by, I found myself forgetting about the resolutions I had made and they got pushed aside until December rolled around again. I have discovered some things that have helped me keep my focus and achieve my goals as I’ve gotten older. I encourage you to try to see if any of these tips help you have a more successful year in achieving your goals and resolutions. Happy New Year- I hope 2020 is your best year yet!
Plan Ahead:
Try not to wait until January 1st every year to start thinking about the things you’d like to work on for the upcoming year. Give yourself some time to really think about the goals you’d like to accomplish this year and what is most important to your happiness and well being. Jot down things as you think of them and go over it until you decide what are the most important things you will focus on this year.
Be Realistic:
When you are setting goals for yourself for the new year, try to set goals that are realistic in being able to accomplish. If you have a large amount of weight you’d like to lose, try setting a small goal first. It is easy to get overwhelmed if you are focusing on only the end result, instead of the journey you need to take to get yourself there. By keeping goals that are attainable, you will be more likely to have success.
Track Your Progress:
When you have reached progress on one of your goals, write it down . This is a great way to be able to look back at your journey over the next year and see the steps you took to meet your goal. When you are physically able to see the progress you have made, it can be very inspiring and encourage you to keep trying your hardest so you can reach the next step of your goal.
Don’t Give Up:
Changing habits that you have done for years can be really hard and take time. Studies have shown that it can take at least three weeks to get yourself into a new routine. If you have an off day, don’t beat yourself up. Again, perfection is simply not an attainable goal. We are going to have hard days and busy days that might steer us off track a little bit. The important thing is to not give up or beat yourself up. Tomorrow is a new day and a fresh start. Move past the hiccup and keep going!
Share Your Goals:
If you have someone in your life you trust, let them be a part of your journey. Each of you can sit down and share your goals for the upcoming year. Just like having a workout buddy, a goal buddy can also help. You can have someone to celebrate your victories with, lean on when you need some extra support and help keep you accountable.
