Following through on your New Year’s Resolution

During Christmas time, we’re all running around like chickens with our heads cut off worrying about money, gifts, and seeing family, that we forget that New Year’s Eve is just around the corner. When January 1st hits, the gyms get packed, diets get followed, and houses get organized….at least for a little bit. Slowly you skip the gym a few days, you have more than one “cheat day” with Taco Bell, and you fall behind on the laundry. The truth is that that change is difficult for most people, especially because habits tend to stick with us the more we reinforce them, in our thoughts and actions. Sticking to goals and plans for the New Year can seem like a monumental task, especially if we don’t see the results right away. People are impatient! Here are a few tips for sticking to your goals this 2020.

Plan Ahead

The day of December 31st, there’s a lot of pressure to share with people what your goals are for the coming year. Making one up on the spot that’s pretty arbitrary doesn’t give you the accountability into actually achieving it. Taking time to reflect on the previous year, or the years prior can help bring about a reflective outlook on what you want bettered in your life. Making a goal off the cuff may be not sincere in your heart and seems more of a task to tick off in your head than anything that may become tangible in your life.

Keep it simple

The best way to achieve goals is to attack them one day at a time. Thinking about the future or even living in the past can derail your thinking and motivation. “I wasn’t able to stick to my diet last year, might as well give up”, “I can’t wait until I’m bikini ready in May when I will have lost 30lbs, that’s so far away and too much work!” can be a few things that swim around in your head. Keeping goals achievable for the DAY not only keeps you in the present but makes a big goal and puts it into bite sized pieces that are easier to digest.

Change your thinking first

A crucial step in change, in my opinion, doesn’t start with action, it starts with your thinking. If you approach a goal with a negative mindset, self-doubt, fear, and excuses, the action required will not reap the required results. If you want to go to the gym but you hate your body and you lack confidence, you’re not going to want to go the literal extra mile. If you want to drink less, thinking about the “fun” you’re missing out on and the activities you “won’t enjoy” have already made up your mood, hindering you from actually putting the drink down when the moment comes.

Have Accountability

I’m a big promoter of having accountability. Very rarely does pure self will provide enough steam to run the engine very long. Get others to talk to about it and to join in on the activities with you. It helps establish a sense of community and motivation. Going to work out classes with a friend or joining a sports club for instance will help you turn up for games and meet new people in the process. Feeling that you’re not alone in the struggle to better yourself and that you’re going to be called out if you stray from the path is super beneficial to progress. The more people you have behind you, the better!

Track your progress

Change is slow moving. It takes time. Sometimes when we’re on a goal to lose weight, we don’t realize how much we are actually losing because it is so gradual. Take photos or write down how many miles you’ve run over the past weeks. This reinforces that changes ARE being made, albeit slowly. Set a goal and watch in black and white (or color pictures) as the results start to appear. If you want to read more this year, make a list of the books and cross them off as you go. You will have an immense sense of pride that will actually fuel you to keep it up for longer.

 

What helps you achieve the goals you set for yourself? List them below!