We’ve all been there; we set up crazy, unrealistic expectations of what our new year’s resolutions are gonna be. From the common “I’m going to drink more water” to the insane “I’m going to run a marathon”. People tend to get very worked up on the New Year’s resolutions topic. People either hate them with extreme passion or try to come up with how they are going to change the course of their life in one short year. No matter where you are on this spectrum, I hope this article brings you peace knowing you’re not alone. So here you have it: what to do if you’ve already failed your new year’s resolutions.
1. Realize You’re Going to Make Mistakes
Some people get discouraged the moment they mess up and abort the whole idea altogether. Suppose your goal is to eat healthy. The moment you eat junk food you need to realize that one moment is not your whole year. Just because you may have fallen off the bandwagon in January does not reflect the course of your whole year. New Year’s resolutions are meant to resolve bad habits. It is a resolution that you promise to yourself that you’re going to resolve those habits within that year. Don’t let one or two mistakes discourage you from completing your goal.
2. Try to Minimize Expectations
It is pretty much impossible to change overnight so don’t expect yourself to either. Try to make extreme goals like running a marathon easier by trying to run a 5k or a 10k race instead. This will help make it feel like it is an attainable goal instead of something impossible. Unless you’re really up for running a marathon. Which in that case, more power to you.
3. It’s Okay for Goals to Change
Believe it or not, December 31st is not the deadline for making goals. It is okay to go into a new year and change what your new year’s resolutions are. Maybe you wanted to do one thing but now you’re thinking you want to do another. Don’t consider this change in decision making as failing because it isn’t.
4. Sometimes it’s Okay to Not Want to Change
It’s almost always expected to have something we want to change about ourselves. We are all striving for perfection. Along with this comes the stress of finding what we want to do differently. For some, this may come naturally. I think sometimes people try to force change upon themselves but the desire to change should come from within. Instead of “failing” a resolution that you didn’t really want to resolve in the first place, just don’t make one at all.