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Most of us make New Year’s resolutions only to have them fall apart a few months, or even a few weeks in. This can make us feel defeated, frustrated, and go back to old, unhealthy habits. The word resolution is defined as a firm decision to do or not do something. It makes it as though your decision is set in stone and there’s little to no flexibility. The problem with this is if, or when, we slip it, it seems that we’ve completely failed rather than hit a bump in the road. Instead, setting realistic goals, instead of resolutions, is the way to creating long-lasting change. Below are tips to take your New Year’s goals and make them stick.
Give Your Goals a Fighting Chance
Before you even start to work towards your goals, you need to see if they are rooted in reality. It’s important to get in touch with yourself about what you actually want to achieve and where you are in your life. For example, if you’re a busy parent of three, with a full time job, it’s probably not feasible to take on a task that takes several more hours out of your day. Work with what you’ve got already, rather than building a whole new dynamic.
Ride the Wave
Once you’ve set your realistic goals, it’s time to get going. You might start off raring to go, but suddenly life gets in the way. It’s easy to stop and give up, but remember, these are goals, not steadfast resolutions, so you can roll with the punches and adjust when needed. Be flexible with your goals. Some weeks you’ll be up, others you’ll be down, and that’s all ok! You may even realize you can push yourself a little further than you once thought. Either way, it’s important to ride the wave of ups and downs.
Check In
It’s always important to check in with yourself and ask if your goal is still working for you or if you need to change course. You might realize that where you were when you made your goal, vs where you are now is different. People change and therefore goals might too. Give yourself a little grace with your goals.
