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It's the last week of January and I’ve already entirely blown my resolutions. Sound
familiar? It sure does to me. I have these great goals ready to go, and how I’m
going to live life differently. Then comes the first week of January. I do
great for the first week… and then I go back to school, or work, and get busy
and life starts all over again. After this happens, I never seem to get back on
track or I tell myself “it’s too late” or “it’s over.”
Why do we do this? How do we break this cycle?
It’s time to resurrect your resolutions. Look at your list, or remember
all the things you want to do differently. Now I want you to just think about
your top three. One definite problem I have is making too many resolutions. I
know exactly what a “perfect” life is and I try to make it happen.
Unfortunately I’m far from perfect so there are many changes I need to make!
When you’re setting goals it’s best to just start with a few rather than trying
to make too many changes at once. Once you’ve completed this set of three, you
can move on to something else.
Next step is to make your goal measurable. Make it so you can see the
change as you go. Or break a larger goal down into achievable steps. This helps
to make it seem less daunting or impossible. My goals are always too broad and
I become easily overwhelmed by it.
For example, my number one resolution is always to exercise. That’s a
great goal “to exercise” but it doesn’t mean anything. What is my end result?
How will I know when I’ve achieved this goal? My personal goal is to exercise
at least 5 days a week. To make it more measurable, I’m first going to say
“Exercise 15 minutes a day for one week.” That’s something small and entirely
achievable. After I’ve achieved that I can increase it to 30 minutes a day and
so forth and until I get into a better habit of exercising on a daily basis.
Second step is to make sure to reward yourself for each of your small
achievements on your way to your larger goal. So for my example of exercising,
after I achieve a week’s worth of exercises I’m going to reward myself and
celebrate any success no matter how small. We tend to not give ourselves
enough credit for the things that we do achieve. Celebrating your successes
will help keep you motivated to your larger goal.
So what happens if I still can’t make my goal? If somehow I haven’t been
able to achieve my smaller goal, this time around I’m not going to give up. I
believe in second chances, and that includes for myself. Just start again, and
remember to start small! One mistake or a bad week doesn’t mean failure. Just
pick up right where you left off.
My number one advice is just to believe in yourself and never give up.
Good luck!
