5 Tips to Stick with your Resolutions
Happy New Year friends! It’s the first year of a new decade, and I don’t know about you all, but it feels like a fresh start for me! Like a breath of fresh air full of new beginnings and dreams yet to be had. Like many of you, I am setting my goals, and carefully selecting my New Year’s resolutions. I’ve got some tips for you all to better stick with those resolutions far past the end of January.
Pick Resolutions with Intention
Don’t randomly pick resolutions because they’re popular, or you think you should be doing it, like meditation or picking up running. Choose resolutions that are 100% yours and hold value to you. Things that would improve your life and that you WANT to stick to. If you don’t like running and see no value in it, why torture yourself by making it a resolution you know you won’t stick to, and don’t even want to stick to?! Let it go, and choose the things that make your heart happy, or things you could see yourself sticking to. Instead of running, maybe try saying you will be physically active in some way every day or week. It could be walking, yoga, dance class, weight lifting, whatever floats your boat!
Set Outside Accountability
One of the best things I ever did for my fitness was to hire a personal trainer at the gym. It is a luxury that I afford myself, because I get so much benefit out of having a standing appointment with my trainer – one that I get charged for missing! Not to mention, the expectation from the person you’d be standing up. It helps me through the rest of the week too – my trainer sets the expectation that she wants me in the gym 2-3 more times that week, and I don’t want to have to show up to our next appointment and have to tell her I didn’t do it! If you don’t have the ability to hire your accountability partner, asking a friend or family member works just as well! Choose carefully – you want someone who will really make you stick to whatever commitment you make to them.
Track your Progress
Let’s say you want to give up soda in 2020 – one of the best things you can do to hold YOURSELF accountable is to write it down every day. You can keep a note in your phone, or a handwritten journal. Or it can be as simple as a tally mark on your bathroom mirror. Whatever works for you where you will see it and record every single day whether or not you kept your goal. Did you have a soda that day? Write it down, and write it down when you made it a whole day without one. Making yourself look at your progress can help you stick with the goal. Not to mention, it feels really amazing when you can look back and see you made it a whole month or more sticking with your goal!
Recognize the Excuses
Ahh excuses. Everyone has them, and they are a hard habit to kick. Telling yourself you “don’t want to”, or you “just can’t today” is a form of negative self talk that will get you absolutely nowhere! That kind of talk within you will keep you from reaching the goals you want to reach. The first step to changing the narrative, is to recognize what you’re doing in the moment. If you are telling yourself that you “don’t have time” today to go to the gym, really reflect on whether or not that’s true. Be HONEST with yourself. You may find that your excuses are thinly veiled and don’t hold up when you press on them a little bit.
Don’t Give Up
This is probably the cheesiest and most predictable advice header I could give you in this post, but hear me out! What I mean is, if you have a bad day and you give in or don’t accomplish what you wanted to, don’t let it throw you off course entirely. Start fresh tomorrow. There is absolutely no reason one bad day should ruin your progress and your resolution. Hold strong, and begin again tomorrow.
I hope these tips can help you, and me, stick with our resolutions this year! Let’s be real, I almost always need to take my own advice too! What are some of your New Year Resolutions for 2020? Share in the comments below!
