7 Tips for Making and Keeping Your New Year’s Resolution
While we all are putting 2020 behind us and focusing on the possibilities of 2021 some of us will commit to making resolutions. A study found that more than half of all resolutions fail, but this year, they do not have to be yours.
We’ve compiled a list of seven tips for making the right resolutions for yourself and keeping them so that at the end of this year you can look back and revel in your accomplishments.
Be different than most and check out our tips below that will help your resolutions stick this year.
Create A Measurable Goal
Avoid being vague when you’re creating your resolutions. There will be days when you feel like you’re heading in the right direction, and then there will be days where you slip up.
If your goals aren’t measurable and tangible you may find yourself feeling lost and giving up. Create specific, measurable goals. Then, you will have a clear target to aim for.
Plan
Every goal requires a plan. Your plan needs to include objectives that will create change. Commit to spending the time it takes to create a detailed plan. Whether you are going to eat a salad for lunch each day or you’re going to stop eating out until you’ve paid off that credit card bill, decide to taking action that will help you be a few steps closer to your goal.
Set Yourself Up for Success
Everyone feels motivated early in the process once they’ve decided on their resolutions and started to plan. But after a week or two, motivation naturally wanes. To prepare for the inevitable dip in motivation, set yourself up for success far in advance.
To do that, you’ll need to make bad habits inconvenient and harder to do than those good habits that are helping you stick to your resolution. You will be more likely to do things that feel easy, even when your motivation slides.
Plan for Missteps
There will always be temptations and obstacles that could easily derail you from your resolution. Go ahead and when you are setting your goals, think about those obstacles you will likely encounter in the first few weeks after establishing your resolution. Plan for those missteps and develop a plan.
Planning ahead for those probable challenges will help you feel equipped to handle those unexpected obstacles that will inevitably pop up along the way.
Start Once You’re Ready
Don’t rush the process. There’s no need to launch your resolution on January 1st. In fact, starting one January 1st might set you up for failure. Start working on and thinking about your goals once you’re ready. We don’t mean to wait until you feel fully confident before starting. Almost no one is ever truly ready. Just make sure you are committed to the goal you set.
Think through what you’ll need to do and how you are going to do it. Rather you start on January 15th or decide to wait until mid-Spring, don’t create a resolution just because you feel pressured to do so on January 1st.
Hold Yourself Accountable
You need to track your progress to make sure you are headed in the right direction. So, figure out a way to make sure you can check in with yourself at times. That might mean using a calendar, creating a chart, or configuring a spreadsheet. You can also have a friend or partner be an accountability partner.
When you can see how you’re doing, and track your progress accordingly, it reminds you how far you’ve come and can help boost confidence and commitment to your goal.
Be sure and keep in mind that progress does not always come in a straight line. Sometimes, we slip up and stumble.
Learn from Your Mistakes
Making a mistake, or stumbling, is part of the process. Too often people think one mistake makes their destiny, so they give up. When you stumble learn from your misstep. Those that are able to keep their resolutions find ways to turn their mistakes into opportunities to grow stronger and become better.
Commit to making this year your best yet. Commit to making lasting positive change. This year, your resolution is going to stick!