Well we’re halfway through the first month of the New Year and we want to know, how are you all doing with your resolutions? Have you fallen off the wagon already or are you still powering along? If you’re having trouble sticking to your resolutions for the new year or just need some positive reinforcement, we’ve come up with a few tips to keep you motivated and get you one step closer to reaching your goals!
- Limit the number of resolutions you make. You can only do so much and make so many changes in one year, so it’s best to stick with 2 or 3 new goals, any more than that would probably get a tad overwhelming.
- Be realistic, don’t set unreasonable goals that are nearly impossible to achieve. You don’t want to start off the new year by automatically setting yourself up for failure. For example, if you want to make more money, don’t start off the new year by saying you want to become a millionaire. Instead, make a plan to find a better job that would lead to a pay raise, or try taking a second job if need be. Whatever you do, pick a resolution that you can plan ahead for and outline the steps you’ll take to achieve that goal.
- Make a step by step plan to reach your resolution. Starting small and outlining changes to make in your daily life sets a reasonable goal for yourself and makes your resolution that much more attainable. Say you want to work out more often and lose some weight, get specific and outline the nights of the week and times that you want to hit the gym and set a resonable goal for the amount of pounds you want to lose. Or if you want to get better at sports, make a plan to practice more with your teammates or find times to work out on your own.
- Talk about it! By filling in your friends and family on your resolution for the new year, they can help keep you motivated and become your support system! If you don’t talk about your resolution with others, you won’t feel any shame if you don’t stick with it, but when others are asking about it and you have to answer to them as well, it can help keep you on the right track!
- Track your progress! Keep a journal, write a blog, or just keep sharing your updates via social media, whatever you do, writing down your progress is another way to keep you motivated! When you can actually see the progress and improvements you’re making on paper, it’s that much more empowering and all the more reason to keep up the good work! Not to mention sharing your progress via social media opens you up for feedback and positive well wishes from your friends and family!
- Reward yourself! If you’re seeing progress and have been successful in your resolution(s) thus far, there’s no harm in rewarding yourself! You don’t have to reward yourself with something that contradicts your resolution though. Say you wanted to get in better shape and lose some weight, if you’ve been successful so far then don’t head for the cookies as a reward, instead, why not treat yourself to a new outfit that highlights your success?
Sticking to your resolution can be tough, but hopefully with these tips you will be one step closer to achieving your goals for the new year! Keep these hints in mind next time you’re tempted to fall off the wagon, even if your resolution doesn’t pan out at first, there’s no reason why you can’t start over again at any point in the year!
Photo By: CherryPoint