Far too many people don’t stick with the New Year’s resolutions that they’ve made, and many of them give up as early as March. Don’t let this happen to you because there are definitely ways to make resolutions that last the whole year. Forming good habits and sticking with your New Year’s resolutions is not only possible but easier than you might think. Here are 5 tips on setting and achieving your goals in the New Year for a new and improved you:
1. Set Big Picture Goals
Take a look at everything you have going on in your life and identify what you want to change. Unless you dream big you will never understand yourself enough to set meaningful goals, and will never achieve them. Many people dream of losing weight, getting more fit, developing an exciting hobby, traveling, finding love or achieving some financial goal. Don’t worry about the details at first, just dream about what the end results should be and how they will make you feel.
2. Identify Smaller Steps
Now that you have the big picture goals, it’s time to break down how you will achieve them. It’s taking a vague goal and transforming it into actions and measurable progress toward that goal. For example, if the goal is to get more fit, there are lots of little steps that you can achieve to get you from point A to point Z. Smaller, more concrete steps toward the large goal of “Getting Fit,” might include only eating out once per week, adding more vegetables to each meal, taking 10,000 steps per day, and joining a Zumba class with your best friend. These actionable things can be measured and evaluated, giving you plenty of motivation to continue toward the big goal.
3. Visualize Success
Visualizing yourself reaching your goal is very important. Once you can see yourself with the desired result, you’ll be imagining yourself successful in your New Year’s resolution. Visualization will help you stay consistent, focus your attention, reduce anxiety and really help form those habits that contribute to achieving your goal.
4. Get Support
Keeping your New Year’s resolutions past March is a tough thing, and the more support you have, the more likely you will be to continue on your journey toward achieving your goal. Parents, friends, siblings, co-workers, and even online forums can be incredible resources for support. Achieving your goals can be fun with a partner, and you are more likely to find success.
5. Give Yourself a Break
You will make a mistake, slip up, forget something, or just be too lazy every once in a while as you work toward your goal. That’s OK, and you wouldn’t be human if you didn’t mess up every so often. Be kind to yourself when things don’t go your way. Just resolve to try harder tomorrow and forgive yourself for your bad day. When people get discouraged because they make a mistake, they toss the whole goal away, but you don’t have to. Keep your New Year’s resolutions all year long by allowing yourself to make mistakes occasionally. You’ll be glad you did. When it comes to setting goals for the New Year, make sure you follow these tips and find the success you seek. With discipline and hard work, you have the power to transform your life into whatever you want it to be.
