Top Tips for Making Your New Year’s Resolutions a Success
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It can be overwhelming when your New Year’s resolutions become as long as your holiday shopping list but setting yourself goals at the start of the year is a great way to get 2019 off to the best start.
In addition to the post-holiday slump, not being able to stick to your resolutions by February, March or even late January can send your anxiety into overdrive. So, in order to set yourself up for success, you need to ensure you set realistic goals that you are going to be able to work on throughout the year.
Check out our top tips for success below:
Start small
Let’s not go crazy and write a list as long as your arm with everything you want to change in your life. Having unrealistic New Year’s Resolutions is pretty much setting yourself up for failure and when you don’t achieve them it can be very demotivating. The best way to tackle change is to start small and work your way up. For example, if you want to spend more time with family and friends, dedicate a day a month to begin with where you plan an activity together and build from there.
Talk about it
By telling a friend or loved one about your resolution, it means you have someone there to not only support you but keep you focused and motivated. If you start wavering, friends and family will be on hand to assist. Another thing to remember is by telling people it creates a greater connection between your ‘thinking self’ and your ‘doing self’ and makes the resolution appear more real than if you simply think it in your head. Knowing people are supporting you, gives more incentive to follow through on your goal!
Don’t beat yourself up
If you fail the first time, just try, try, try again! So, you’ve eaten a chocolate bar that was forbidden in week two? Put it behind you and start again. Nobody is perfect and by being too forceful and strict, you may start to rebel and be demotivated. Another way to help this is by giving your goal a timeframe, say ‘only 5 cigarettes a month’ and that way, once you’ve achieved the big success in that short-term goal, it encourages you to continue.
Review your progress
Break your resolutions down in stages, or months in order to track your progress. Then, a few months down the line, you can see what is working and what is not. For instance, if your resolution was to go to the gym three evenings a week, perhaps you haven’t been sticking to it because you always work late. Therefore, the answer may be to try going to the gym during your lunch break instead. Ultimately, making a minor adjustment could be the key to success.
Celebrate
Remember to celebrate your successes! Making any kind of change in your life is hard and if you make a resolution to change something you don’t like and achieve it, you definitely deserve a reward! The only thing to remember is to make sure you keep up the hard work and don’t fall back into your old habits!
