New Year new you! This is the famous saying but the goal should never be to create a “new you.” Resolutions are meant to help jump start your way into making positive and healthy choices for the year ahead not to change the amazing person you already are. Chances are your probably similar to the other millions of people around the world that make resolutions to keep them motivated. This is much easier said than done, but as January 2018 rounds out it is important to stay on track into February and beyond. No matter how big or small the goals you set here are some easy steps to help you achieve them.
Make it easy
If your goal is to lose weight or drink more water don’t go overboard and start with an impossible goal. A gradual increase in water intake or a few sessions with a personal trainer is an easy start. If resolutions are too challenging the likelihood of following through is low and you will be making the same resolution year after year. There are many opportunities to increase or change the goals you set along the way so start off easy and work into it.
Make smaller goals
Making goals smaller or “chunking” them makes the whole thing more manageable. Setting clear and realistic small goals will help make the whole process seem easier. If you choose something you’re passionate about breaking it up into baby steps will help make it seem like a piece of cake. If your goal is to wash your face before bed, try using cleansing wipes first. It seems silly but making the goal smaller and more manageable will result in a higher success rate.
Make notes
Keeping track of your goal is important and it is often easy to forget things in the hustle and bustle of daily life. Using notes to remind yourself, to set a time frame, or to cheer yourself on are great ways to make resolutions fun. Having a fancy planer, a cool notebook, or a wall calendar to make notes on is super easy and can be incorporated seamlessly into your daily routine. Using notes as a physical reminder of your resolutions is a way to make them more real. Having a tangible reminder will trigger you to better track what you want to accomplish.
Ask for help
You don’t go through life alone, and like watching a killer makeup tutorial on YouTube it’s okay to seek help once and a while. Seeking advice about whatever goal you have set for yourself is a way to keep accountable and to make the best choice. If your trying to achieve something new it makes sense to ask for help and advice. This doesn’t mean broadcasting your weight loss goals on social media or declaring you will never smoke again to your co-workers but asking for help from people who care about you will strengthen your resilience and reduce your stress.
Never give up
Like anything in life, there will inevitably be setbacks, roadblocks, and times when you want to throw in the towel. If you have a fitness resolution than this metaphor does not apply and definitely consider throwing your sweaty gym towel in the wash every now and then. The guarantee is that things will not be perfect so expect that and have a growth mindset rather than a defeatist one. If you expect to skip yoga when things get busy or to cheat on your diet when friends are over then it will feel less dramatic when it happens. Feel proud of the baby steps you take and remember that the journey is far more important than the end result.
