How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions
The New Year is like a reset - a time to reflect and think about the changes you would like to make for the coming year. We like to feel that we are progressing and improving our lives. Resolutions and setting goals help us feel a sense of progression and personal growth.
“Happiness is a deep sense of flourishing.”
The challenge that many of us face is actually sticking to our resolutions. We start out determined. Life happens, and our goals tend to fizzle away. Many of us quit before we reach them.
There are steps we can take to help increase our chances of succeeding.
Focus on one resolution at a time
When we try to do too much at once, we run out of steam and will likely quit. Choose one resolution and give it your complete attention. You are more likely to succeed when you have a clear focus.
Start slowly
Rather than go full force, build momentum slowly. If eating better is your goal, add one healthy meal each day for the first week. Add in another healthy meal and focus on that for the next week. Break your goal into small manageable steps and gently build on them each week.
Measure your goal
It helps to measure your goal in some way so that we can see that you are progressing. If it’s learning an instrument, take note of the chords or pieces of music you’ve learned that week. If it’s running, note down the distances you ran. Sometimes we feel stuck and like we aren’t achieving our goal. Measuring progress will remind you how far you have actually come.
Reflect on why you are trying to reach your goal
Reminding ourselves why we are trying to achieve our goal will inspire us to keep going. There’s often a meaning beneath our goals - like freedom to work for yourself or to have more energy to play with your children. Reflect daily on why you are trying to reach your goal and even visualise what it feels like. How does achieving your goal make you feel within?
We are all capable of achieving our goals. Sometimes, we progress more slowly than we would like, or we might take a step back. That is ok. The key is to pick ourselves up again and take another step forward.