We’ve all been there. A resolution is set and we’re excited that this will finally be the year! I will do it this time! Then something happens along the way and we don’t achieve our goal as we planned.
Only a very small percentage actually achieve their New Year’s resolution. In fact only about 8% of people are actually successful in achieving their new year's resolutions.
That’s a pretty big bummer if you’re trying to stay motivated to reach your goal isn’t it?
I’m not going to let the statistics get me down! Below are my tips for how to achieve your New Year’s resolution – for real this time!
Simplicity is Key
While it’s great to have ambition and shoot for the stars it’s best to start with small goals. Rather than create one giant overwhelming goal try to start with a small one that leads to the bigger picture of where you’d like to be. When your resolution is broken up into smaller manageable goals it’s much easier to succeed. What’s important is not how big of a goal you set for yourself but rather that you are making some kind of positive change in your life.
Make it Specific
Set a clear goal rather than just a vague statement of a goal. For example, rather than saying “I’m going to lose weight this year” try setting a goal that’s more specific – a goal that includes some of the steps to reach the bigger picture. A better idea would be to create a goal like “I’m going to stop eating sweets and exercise 45 minutes a day”. Making the goal more specific in this way will give you a sort of road map to achieving that goal.
Write it Down
Remember back in school when you wrote your notes in class or when you you were studying? If you didn’t write down the important points it would have been more difficult to remember all those facts right? Try to take this approach with your goal.
I don’t mean that you should be writing your goal down excessively over and over like a bad student being punished at a blackboard – I mean that writing down your goal will make it seem more real. Once you write down the goal it no longer becomes just a thought in your head but something you are deliberately making an effort to achieve. Writing anything down has a way of making it stick.
Keep Track of Your Goal
In order to stay focused you should try to keep track of your goal in some way and post it somewhere in your home where you can see it to remind you of your progress. For example, if your goal is to exercise 45 minutes a day check off the date on a wall calendar every day you’ve kept up with it. If your goal is to eat healthier try holding yourself accountable by keeping a food journal – you can do this using some of the many diet websites (like Calorie Count) or you can just use a plain old journal. No matter what kind of goal you have – keeping track of it in some way will help you see how you are progressing and if you need to step it up a notch.
Schedule Time for your resolution
Scheduling time for your resolution is one of the best ways to make sure you’re on track to successfully achieve your goal. If your goal is to learn more about photography set aside some time in your schedule to pursue that interest. If the resolution is important to you – which I’m assuming it definitely is – including it in your schedule is a must. Personally, I find that I have a more difficult time keeping on point with my goals if I don’t prioritize and put it on my schedule.
Be Consistent
Once you schedule time for your resolution, it’s important to be consistent and try your best to keep to the schedule. The longer you stick to your goal the more likely it is that you’ll succeed. Statistics show that within weeks or months of deciding their resolutions, individuals begin to abandon their goals. Keep going! Don’t give up!
Congratulate Yourself
It’s important that along the way you congratulate and give yourself recognition for how far you’ve come. Celebrate the little victories. Whatever your goal is celebrate how far you’ve come by doing something nice for yourself. Give yourself some kind of reward. Seriously do it – it will be a great boost to help you reach your end result!
I’m confident that following the above pointers will help to achieve your New Year’s resolution. Do your best and don’t be too hard on yourself you have a few stumbles along the way! Get back up and keep going! You can do it!
My New Year’s resolution for this year is to try to stop stressing over the small things in life I can’t change. It’s going to be hard for me since worrying about anything and sometimes everything is kind of second nature to me!
This post has been a part of “41 Ways to make this The Best Year Ever!” series. Myself along with 40 other bloggers share our tips, tricks and ideas to make this the best year yet!
Please check out the links below to visit their posts! 🙂
1. How to Set and Keep Goals to Make This the Best Year Ever | Jen @ Girl in Garage
2. 15 Ways to Stay Organised at Work During 2015 | Elizabeth Harrin @ A Girl's Guide to Project Management
3. How Personal Style Will Help You Achieve Goals Faster in 2015 | Cherene Francis @ Aura Image Consulting
4. Completing Those Unfinished Projects in the NEW YEAR | Angela Lerew @ Unexpected Elegance
5. 42 Ways to Practice Perfectly & Become an Expert at Almost Anything | Amy Garro @ 13 Spools
6. Easy Exercises to do on a Cruise Ship | Amanda Woods @ Adventures All Around
7. 10 Simple Ways to Eat Healthier This Year | Dawn @ Reveal Natural Health
8. 31 Days to a More Fabulous You | Julie Bonner @ Mom Fabulous
9. How to Make This the Best Gardening Year Ever | Kendra Spencer @ a Sonoma Garden
10. 5 Ways to Make this Your Best Monarch Season…Ever! | Tony Gomez @ Monarch Butterfly Garden
11. 12 Scriptures for Goals and Guidance | Julie @ Loving Christ Ministries
12. How to Build a Starter Emergency Fund in 30 Days or Less | Jackie Beck @ The Debt Myth
13. Family Verse of the Week Challenge for 2015 | Jamie Yonash @ Life is Sweeter By Design
14. Hot Work at Home Jobs for 2015 | Holly Hanna @ The Work at Home Woman
15. A Year of Intention | Hilary Bernstein @ Accidentally Green
16. 2015: Our Best Year Yet | Ashley @ Leaving the Rut
17. Create a Better Life Story | Bronwen Warner @ Tummy Time and Beyond
18. Get Ready to Get MDfit | Tom and Anne @ Eat & Be Fit
19. 5 Free Ways to Learn Something New This Year | Sarah Fuller @ Earning and Saving with Sarah Fuller
20. Healthy Leek Soup | Mirlandra @ Mirlandra's Kitchen
21. Health Resolutions: Baby Steps to a New You | Ellen Christian @ Confessions of an Overworked Mom
22. 5 Ways Busy Moms Can Get Motivated to Work Out | Diane Nassy @ philZENdia
23. Be Prepared for the New Year | Jennifer Dunham Starr @ The Memory Journalists
24. 3 Steps to a Healthier Life in 2015 | Joe Goodwill @Average Joe Cyclist
25. New Year's Resolution: Cook More Often! | Kim Pawell @ Something New for Dinner
26. I Should What? 28 Ways to be Happier | Karen Young @ Hey Sigmund
27. 9 Ways to Get Healthier In The New Year | Amy Maus @ Home and Farm Sense
28. In 2015 Resolve to Take Control of Your Money | Kristia @ Family Balance Sheet
29. Eucharisteo: A Year of Thanksgiving | Lani Padilla @ Simply Fresh Vintage
30. No More Tears at IEP Meetings: Make This Your Best Year Ever! | Lisa Lightner @ A Day In Our Shoes
31. Learn to Save Money on Groceries | Melissa Buckles @ Everyday Savvy
32. How to Achieve Your New Year’s Resolution – For Real This Time! | Michelle @ Dishes and Dust Bunnies
33. 52 Weeks to a Better You: Week 1 – Go to Bed Early | Mindi Cherry @ Moms Need to Know
34. Food Street: How a Community Has Joined Forces to Start a Street Farm | Sam Walker @ Bubble ‘N Squeak
35. Organizing Coupons with the Binder Method | Sara Steigerwald @ Sisters Shopping on a Shoe String
36. How to Make This Year the Happiest Yet | Shambray @ Shambray.com
37. A New Year, A New You | Sharon Rowe @ How to Get Organized at Home
38. 5 Ways to Get Paid for Losing Weight This Year | Anna @ Real Ways to Earn Money at Home
39. Tips for Successful Whole30 | Deanna Michaels @ From This Kitchen Table
40. 75 Ways to Be Healthier in 2015 | Maryea Flaherty @ Happy Healthy Mama
41. How to Make 2015 the Best Year Ever! | Jennifer @ My Boys & Their Toys
Bonus links:
Fashion Resolutions: How to Add Style to Any Outfit | Ellen Christian @ The Socialite's Closet