Every year the same routine happens: A new year starts and people believe it’s the perfect time to start a new beginning. They make a resolution and within the first couple months, ninety percent of people fail at accomplishing their goals. Here are a few easy ways to stick with your resolution.
Have a plan of attack.
If you’re like everyone else, you mention your resolution then when January 1st comes around you do it. Two weeks in you can already tell it’s going to be harder than you thought but you push through it anyway. By the time February comes you’re burnt out and slowly drift off your resolution and before you know it you stopped and gave up. Don’t be that person.
To successfully stick with your resolution, you have to devise a plan of attack. Don’t just say you’re going to do something; make small term goals that lead up to your resolution. For example, If your resolution is to lose weight, don’t just say you want to lose weight. Instead, make small goals (Should be daily goals) that get you a step further to reaching the weight you desire. You have to take small steps. Instead of thinking to run a marathon, first get yourself up off the couch and go walk for 15 minutes. Then the next day, eat at least one healthy meal. Then next week try to walk for 25 minutes and have 2 healthy days of good foods and so on. Slowly make the transition into a different lifestyle. Going all out in the beginning will be too much to handle. Start small. The psychological effect of crossing out your daily goals is reassuring to the brain. Before you know it, you will be losing weight and you already past the first month! So have a plan of attack by accomplishing small goals everyday that slowly transition your lifestyle change.
Cultivate motivation and desire.
Your goal has to have some value and meaning. It should be something that has a positive change towards your life. You should always strive to be better. With that being said, it should also be something you desire. It’s much easier to stick with something that you care about than just deciding on a resolution just for the fact to have one.
Motivation is probably the hardest part when it comes to a year long resolution. That is why I mentioned small term goals. They will greatly benefit you day to day as you see yourself making progress. If one day you don’t feel like doing that day’s goals, then don’t. Seriously. Don’t burn yourself out. I would suggest you do something however. If you were supposed to go for a 5 mile run, go for a 1 or 2 mile run but pick up the pace. When you’re out there running, you might just feel the urge to go the full 5. As long as you’re doing something, then you’re moving forward. Writing is a great example. There are days when I don’t want to write. I love it don’t get me wrong. But day after day of it gets tiring. Your eyes burn, you stay up late nights, and you reread and revise it a ton of times. Even with all this, I still manage to at least write down topics and the first paragraph of the articles. When I do that, I suddenly feel an urge that pushes me to keep writing. Before I know it I am finished. You have to be your own motivator. Some days you will have to dig deep and find why you want this and just get up and do it. I can promise you that you will always feel better after completing your goals.
Have fun.
This is pretty straight forward but a lot of people don’t seem to understand its importance. If you’re not having fun, you’re going to burn yourself out and end up growing a negative impression of your goals. If one day you don’t feel like running, then go swimming or rock climbing. If you don’t feel like writing, then read about improving your writing. There are alternatives to all the actions you have. Mix it up and have fun.
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Logan Mathis is a 25 year old who loves to help others. He is the creator of the self-improvement web site www.selfblend.com. He is an English graduate and currently lives in Illinois.
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