How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolution

If you have made a promise to yourself to stick to your resolutions, you may realize it as not as easy as you thought it would be. The new year is a great time to start fresh, create realistic goals and think about what you want to change in your life. New Year’s resolutions can be a great motivator for you to finally get around to doing the things you’ve always wanted to do and to commit to taking the needed steps to achieve your goals. If you want to succeed at sticking with your New Year’s resolutions, here a few great ways to achieve your goals.

Create a Plan

Once your resolution has been established, it is important to outline a plan not only for what you plan to accomplish, but how you will deal with obstacles that could get in the way of your resolution. Bad habits can be hard to break, but with the right strategies you can stay on track. Write down potential obstacles that could stand in your way and brainstorm ways to tackle them. For example, if you want to go to the gym 3 times a week after work, then late meetings, hanging out with friends, or exhaustion could prevent that from happening. To stay on track, you could adjust your workout schedule for the week or eat the right foods to boost your energy. By knowing exactly what you want to accomplish and the challenges you may face, you will be better prepared to turn your resolutions into habits.

Break Down Your Goals

The new year can bring a lot of stress and uncertainty into your life. When creating a resolution, it is important that you don’t overwhelm yourself with unrealistic goals. You can break larger goals into smaller steps, so you are achieving something along the way while still getting closer to your end goal. It may be easier to start with your end goal first to see what you must do to get there. It’s easier to hold yourself accountable and stick to an objective when you know exactly what you need to achieve. This will help you break down your entire resolution so it can be a part of your daily routine instead of possibly getting overwhelmed by your end goal.

Create a Support System

A support system is a great way to hold yourself accountable because those aware of your goals and plans can help you stick to them. You can also create a buddy system where you and a friend support and encourage each other’s goals and progress towards your resolutions. When you can share your accomplishments with each other, it can be extra motivation to keep pushing to see the result. Creating a buddy system is a great way to know your friend on a new level, these goals may be very personal or special to them and it can be a great way for the friendship to connect on a new level while supporting one another along the way.

Track your progress

Noting each small success along the way not only helps you know if you are headed in the right direction but will also help keep motivation high throughout the year. Short-term goals are easier to keep and important to celebrate. Rewarding yourself is an important aspect when tracking your progress as well. Treat yourself to an actual reward that won’t contradict the resolution you made. Also remember that progress looks different to everyone, and your resolution progress might fluctuate. Don’t give up and practice positive thinking to reach those personal goals.

Trust the Process

Creating resolutions and sticking with them can be a great learning experience. It’s important to realize that accomplishing any goal, big or small, isn’t always easy. You can learn a lot about yourself during the process of completing your goals and sticking with your resolutions. You will learn more about your limits and what it takes for you to reach your goals. This process is also a great opportunity to learn from your mistakes and use them as a guide for what to avoid doing in the future. Even though the process of sticking to your resolution may be long and hard, it is worth it in the end.

Achieving your Goals

For many people, it’s challenging to stick to New Year’s resolutions. With only a few weeks into the new year, it’s very easy for you to abandon your goals and fail to reach the place you want to be. No matter if your resolution is to lose weight or save more money, it’s important you make an attainable goal while also holding yourself accountable. By following the tips discussed, you should be able to stick to your resolutions and see them come true. It’s easy to tell yourself that you’ll stick to your resolution plan and get where you want to be, but it’s even harder to create and follow a plan designed to help you achieve your goals. Now is the perfect time to make your resolution more attainable for your lifestyle instead of giving up before you can even get started.