5 Ways to Keep Those New Year’s Resolutions Marinating
There is no shame in wanting to make a resolution to help improve yourself. But, how many New Year’s resolutions have you kept in your life? Almost every person I have ever heard make a New Year’s resolution will only hold that pledge for a small percentage of the year. Resolutions should be a sign that people are taking charge of their lives by trying to improve themselves. Unfortunately, promising yourself to get into a good habit will not alter your life unless you actually take steps to ensure your change. Here are some tips to taking charge of your resolutions and finally sticking to them. You should use at least two of these tips, if not all of them, to encourage yourself to stick to that resolution. One reminder or reason is rarely enough to help anyone.
1. Have daily rituals for your resolution
Use some form of a daily calendar to keep yourself aware of your changes. If you are trying to lose weight, find a daily calendar on cooking healthy, or if you want to learn a new language find a word-a-day calendar in that new tongue, or find some form of inspirational calendar to remind you to be nicer to yourself or others. You can even try placing sticky notes around your home in strategic places you look at every day to remind yourself of your resolution. Or, set up reminders on your phone or on an Outlook calendar to help you follow through with your tasks.
2. Make your resolutions important to yourself
It may be helpful to actually write a list of all the reasons why you want to start this resolution. People who are trying to improve their health will probably have an easier list to make, but even resolutions that involve learning a new skill or taking up a new hobby should have some importance, so be sure to list those reasons. If you keep in mind why you initially made your resolution, it will be easier to stick to it.
3. Give yourself a goal to reach part way through the year
Maybe you want to lose so many pounds by March, or be able to speak simple sentences in Italian by April. Reaching your goals should encourage you to stick with your plan through the rest of the year. And, if for some reason you do not reach your goal, do not feel discouraged. Instead, you should feel more determined to try that much harder with your resolution in the coming months and create newer goals that may be more realistic.
4. Plan rewards for yourself for reaching your goals
Maybe plan a trip France to practice your new-learned French, or buy yourself some new clothes after losing 20 pounds. You should congratulate yourself for sticking to your resolution and give yourself incentives to keeping up your new habit or skill. Make sure your reward is something that you control, though. Your resolution is for yourself, so your reward should be from yourself, too.
5. Make realistic resolutions
Resolutions should be reasonable. Yes, they are supposed to signify a change in your life, but keep in mind that if your resolution is too difficult, then you are likely to quit after a matter of weeks. Ask yourself what you really need to do to keep your resolution and can you use any of the steps in this blog’s list to help you. If you cannot find realistic ways to follow through with your resolution, then you are probably dooming yourself for discouragement and failure.
