At the beginning of a new year, the pressure is on for everyone to make new year’s resolutions and try to become a better person. Sometimes people want to continue goals they were working on last year, while others want to restart goals that never got accomplished after the second week in January. While it can seem easy to write those resolutions, here are five ways to stick to your new year’s resolutions and make sure that your year is the best that it can be.
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Make your goals so easy you can’t fail (then work your way up)
This works especially well for those who are trying to work out more or eat healthier. Set a goal of working out for one minute, the first day, then two the next day, and so on. As for eating healthier, try adding more vegetables into your diet first, then more fruit. Or try making smoothies for breakfast. This way you are not trying too big of a goal at one time and when your brain doesn’t see such a huge luminous goal ahead, it seems more doable.
2. Don’t have too many resolutions
Experts say to limit your resolution count to four or five max; this way you can really concentrate on the ones you have written down. Something else that goes along with this is that you should try to break your goals up and how you think about them. Think of it as mind over matter. Instead of thinking, ‘I’m going to be less stressed’ which can be a general goal, write down some ways in which you can complete that goal. You could write things like, ‘I will go to bed before midnight’, ‘I will start making flashcards to help me study’, or ‘I will meditate before starting homework after class’.
3. Don’t make absolute resolutions
Try not to make any goals that seem concrete. For example, ‘Starting New Year’s Day I am giving up on all sweets’ or ‘I’m going to the gym every day until spring break’. This will only cause stress and unhappiness within yourself as soon as you indulge in junk food or decide you’re too busy or tired to go to the gym. Instead, try for goals that are more reachable and as noted above, too easy to fail. Last year, when I was trying to eat healthier, it really helped me to realize that if I wanted to have ice cream or chocolate, I didn’t need a bowl of it or a whole chocolate bar. Instead, I would have a scoop or maybe half of the candy bar. Just cutting down on portion sizes instead of not letting myself have it decreased the urges and cravings that so many people seem to have when they cut junk food cold turkey.
4. Journal about your journey
Something I plan on doing this year is writing about not only how I’m growing but how my life is changing. A great way to remind yourself what your resolution means to you and why you want to keep it would be to write about it and how you’re succeeding in it. You don’t have to be a writer either, even if it’s just a couple sentences each day, they say those who write down how they are feeling (whether it’s good or bad) live a happier, healthier, life.
5. Find a friend with the same resolution and grow together
Change can be more fun when you’re doing it with friends because then you have someone to celebrate with when you’re succeeding and someone to get through the hard times with. Just remember that change and growth isn’t always a contest (unless that will motivate you!) otherwise, it should happen at everyone’s own pace.
New Years can be a time when everyone seems to what to make a change, just remember that it can be done! No matter what your resolutions are, I wish you all a happy, healthy new year and I hope that these tips help you to succeed in your goals!