During the first week of February, you’re either glad that you’ve given up on your new found resolutions, or you’re putting on a happy face and wondering why you even bother to make an effort to set goals in the first place, considering that year after year you never seem to follow through with them anyways. It’s statistically shown that by the 10th of January, the majority of those who’ve resolved to go to the gym daily, search for a higher paying job, or quit smoking, have already given into old habits and have broken their freshly made self-promises. If it proves to be so difficult for everyone to maintain their resolutions, how is it possible for those who aren’t strong willed individuals to have a fighting chance with their resolution lists when the brand new year rolls around? In actuality, keeping your resolutions doesn’t have to be this difficult. By following these simple tips, you’ll be able to call 2013 the year you accomplished all you set out to achieve.!
Set attainable goals
First off, it’s most important to set realistic goals that are within reach. The main reason why the majority of resolutions are broken is because they’re farfetched and impossible to maintain even if you ARE one of the few strong willed individuals. The key is to set smaller, detailed goals that you can achieve by making only minor changes to your daily routine. By doing so, it won’t feel like you have to go out of your way to accomplish your goals and therefore will you will not be deterred from keeping up with your resolutions. It’s also important to set a deadline for when you want to achieve your goal by, and to reward yourself when you hit to important checkpoints.
Record your goals
You’ve spent making your resolutions, so the last thing you want to do is forget them. Whether you prefer taping a Post-It note list of your goals to your bathroom mirror or writing a list on your cellphone, it’s important to have a visual list in a place you’re most likely to see it. By seeing a written list of your goals, they’ll be constant reminders to stay on track, and they’ll become engrained into your mind.
Go public with your goals
Unless you have enough self control and motivation to accomplish your goals by yourself, it’s best to share your resolutions with a friend, a coworker, on your Facebook page, on a YouTube video, on a blog post, or with whoever you feel comfortable sharing with. By doing so, you’ll have an encouraging support system that will keep you on track. You never know; you might just find someone with similar goals as you, who will want to work on accomplishing these goals together. Just because you’ve made a list of personal resolutions, it doesn’t mean that you have to conquer them alone. By connecting with someone with similar goals, you can motivate one another other.
Don’t be hard on yourself
So what if you fell off the wagon, the track or if your original plan went off the proverbial rails; just because you didn’t achieve your resolutions in the first three weeks of January, doesn’t mean that you have to wait until the next new year to try it again. Remember the adage “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”; even if it’s at the beginning of February.
Written by Kels Tham
