EDIT: Yeah, I know it’s Christmas but I thought I would post tips on how to keep a New Year’s resolution early because I’m organised like that. Happy Holidays, by the way. I hope you’ve all had a lovely time!
The concept of, ‘New year, new you’ gets thrown around a lot during the run-up to January. It’s particularly prominent on social media.
Along with it comes many promising themselves ‘fresh starts’ in the form of a new year’s resolution. It’s easy to see why.
After all, what better time to kick-start change?
It’s easy to make a promise but it’s another thing to actually stick to it for a whole year.
So, how exactly does someone keep a new year’s resolution?
Here are some of my tips:
First things first, you have to want it.
You can’t lie to yourself about what you want to accomplish.
Don’t say that you want to lose 100Ibs as a new year’s resolution when you know you don’t have the willpower to do so.
As well as being realistic about what it is that you’re prepared to do, it’s good to be very clear in separating what you want from what you think you should want.
For example, if your goal is to achieve financial security then don’t make a promise to yourself that you will start your own company and become a millionaire when that might not be exactly what you want (although, who wouldn’t want this, amirite?).
Going by my example, if you want financial security be clear to yourself about how you want to achieve this.
Do you want to start your own company, or do you want to take a course that will get you into a specific line of high-paying work?
A lot of us believe that to get something we have to do ‘A’ when that’s not the case (there’s actually a whole alphabet of different methods!).
Think about how you want to achieve your goal.
The more in line it is with you and your strengths the more your motivation will increase.
Once you’ve thought about what you want and how you want to get it, assess whether it’s achievable.
If your new year’s resolution is to become a senior member of a company and earn £30,000 annually are you able to do so in ‘X’ amount of time?
Are you already in a position that’s high enough to progress on to the position that you want e.g., are you already a manager?
If not, is there a lower position that you should be aiming towards getting first?
A lot of people set out to make big life changes at the beginning of every year and then get discouraged when they’re several months in and aren’t where they thought they would be.
Start off slow and keep realistic goals in mind. This will lessen the likelihood of you calling it quits or becoming frustrated with your progress.
Make an in-depth, (step-by-step) plan of how you’re going to achieve your new year’s resolution.
You can make it as detailed as you want!
I tend to go all-out when I have something that I want to accomplish within a given timeframe because I’m just like that.
It also makes me feel more confident that things will work out the way that I want them to, which doesn’t hurt.
If you’re like me then you really shouldn’t skip this step – ideally, no one should skip this step.
It’s also good to go further and list the things that could go wrong. You should write up backup plans for each. That way, you’re never thrown off track.
Although, don’t be disheartened if something unexpected occurs and you haven’t planned for it. While a lot of us really do try, no one can predict everything.
Never stress if something comes up. Always keep going! Even if things don’t progress at the rate you want them to because of it.
Progress is still progress.
It also helps to find things that make you want to achieve your new year’s resolution
Whether it’s inspirational quotes, songs, or personal success stories.
Have them on hand or close enough so that they’re there if needed. We all need motivation at some point!
Don’t know where to get your motivation?
If you find yourself that little bit more positive about your goals when you see some inspirational quotes on Facebook, then have your favourite quote as your phone wallpaper.
You could even save several of them on my phone and change your wallpaper to each one every week or so to switch it up.
Or, if you do better when your friends or family cheer you on then ask them to remind you every day that you can do it.
You can get creative with finding what works for you. Don’t be afraid to!
If you find yourself getting impatient with the rate you’re going at, you should write a list of pros for why you’re going at that pace.
This will stop you from rushing ahead and eventually giving up and should help you stick to your new year’s resolution.
For example, say you’re trying to lose weight and are going to gym twice a week. Write out all the pros for going twice a week instead of three or four times every week. E.g., you have a social life, and you want to start out slow to not overwhelm yourself.
If you’re starting out at a faster rate (and you know that you can maintain this) then write out the pros as to why so you’re going a bit faster, so that you don’t lose determination:
e.g. ‘going to the gym four times a week enables me to distract myself from certain things going on’; ‘I want more “me” time; I need constant stress relief’ etc.
That way, at whatever rate you start off at you will feel reassured that this is the right thing for you.
It’s okay to adjust your pace
If you’re really unhappy with something – whether it be your goals, how you’re working towards it, or even the hours that you’re putting in, know that it’s okay to adjust what you need to.
When your plans aren’t working, see if any of them have something in common.
Sometimes it might be this common factor that’s not making any of them work for you.
Don’t be afraid to change it up or become more flexible in your approach, and re-plan. There is never just one or two ways of going about something.
If you do this, hopefully, your new year’s resolution should be easier to reach!
So, those are my tips for how to stick to new year’s resolutions. I’m hoping they’ll work for you.
If you found this helpful or you know someone who should read this, then please share this link and help spread the word! I appreciate you taking your time to read this so thank you.
Also, if you have any more tips on how to keep a new year’s resolution then feel free to comment them below.
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