How To: Keep New Year’s Resolutions

A Guide To Keeping Your Resolutions 

For many people, myself included, the new year is fresh, exciting, and full of potential. The new year is a new beginning and is your blank slate to a whole new 365 days.

New Year’s resolutions are a very common way to celebrate the new year and try to improve your life by ditching your bad habits. Common resolutions include eating better, losing weight, spending more time with friends and family, and others.

Does this scenario seem familiar? You start January 1st 100% committed to your resolution, maybe even quitting your bad habits cold turkey, but are discouraged and unmotivated by February 1st.

Many people struggle to stay on track with their resolutions for a variety of reasons. And let’s face it, achieving your goal can be intimidating and difficult. But that’s no reason to worry because we’re here to help. That’s why we’ve compiled our list of the best tips for keeping your New Year’s resolution.

We want to help you reach your goal and make sure your 2019 resolution sticks.

Pick The Right Resolution

According to the New York Times, you’ll have a better chance of sticking to your resolution if it’s both realistic and meaningful to you.

How do you know you’re picking the right resolution? First, choose a resolution because it means something to you, not because someone else or society is telling you it should be your resolution.

Your resolution does not need to be about change, it can be about improvement. Maybe you want to read more, spend more time with loved ones, learn to meditate or worry less. These may seem like small goals, but they can really improve your year.

Set A Timeline

Have you ever heard that saying that a goal without a timeline is just a dream? Don’t make it a dream, make it a reality, by giving yourself a timeline and schedule. Say you want to quit smoking, give yourself a timeline and goal. Mark a date on your calendar by which you want to have completely quit. If your goal is to be more physically active, mark dates and times in your calendar when you plan to go exercise.

Working your resolution into your daily life makes it less of a chore and more of a lifestyle habit. Soon it will become part of your daily routine.

Don’t Get Discouraged

This is a big one. We are all human, we all make mistakes, and we all have setbacks.

There might be days where you are weakened, tempted, or simply forget about your specific goal. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you “mess up” and do not get discouraged.

You are not a failure, and you have not failed. Pick yourself up and get back to it!

Record Your Results

If you have a long-term resolution, record your results daily, weekly, or monthly so you can see all the progress you’ve made. This is great for resolutions aimed at improving yourself, whether it’s exercising, eating better, or saving money. Even if your resolution is not “measurable” like spending more time with family or worrying less, you can still record any emotional progress and writing yourself encouraging notes.

If you have any other great tips for keeping resolutions and/or achieving goals, be sure to share them in the comments below. Even if you don’t have any tips, be sure to comment your resolution if you have one!

Good luck!