The beginning of the year brings with it a new perspective that is so refreshing. Everyone seems to be lacing up their tennis shoes, avoiding the Oreos and Pringles at the grocery store, and starting that one thing they've always been talking about doing. January provides an ideal vantage point to look over your life in the past year and decide what you want to improve. But with the new year and all the resolutions comes intense pressure to achieve, and it's just not realistic to change everything about your life all at once. So no matter if you started out with a healthy mindset and you're still going strong, if you didn't even set any goals, or if you just never pushed through with the goals you did set, it's never too late to start.
Whether your goals are to be healthier, live with more intention, be more productive or start having a routine, here are some tips to get back on track when you’ve lost the motivation that you had at the beginning of the year:
1. Make a plan.
Create a plan of action for how you want to go about achieving your new goals. If you want to work out more, make a schedule of what workouts you want to do each week. Build some structure, but don't make your plan so rigid that you can't follow through.
2. Get inspired.
You've got to have some sort of inspiration to fuel your goals or you'll burn out quickly. Changing your habits requires gaining more mental strength. Listen to podcasts, read books, follow boards on Pinterest, blogs and Instagram accounts that align with your goals. When you immerse yourself in the world of whatever you’re trying to achieve, it’s likely to rub off on you.
3. Make goals that are achievable.
Set goals, but don’t set them sky high, or you’ll get frustrated when you don’t reach them quickly. Keep your ultimate goal in the back of your mind, but make little goals that you can achieve along the way, every week or every month. Maybe you could set a goal to go to the gym five days a week or to finish your homework before 8 pm every night.
4. Get a buddy.
Just telling someone you are going to do something isn't usually enough. Find someone who will come alongside you and do it with you. Grab a friend to study with, or find someone who will go on a run with you. You constantly need to have people around you who are driven, because it will rub off on you, and that’s a good thing!5. Create rewards for yourself.
Give yourself rewards for when you reach the next step to your goals. If you do your homework on schedule, maybe you get to watch your favorite show at night. If you run a certain number of miles this month, reward yourself with a new pair of running leggings. Let's be real—pizza is also fantastic motivation.
6. Take it a day at a time.
Just take it day by day. Set it in your mind to find the next thing you can do to get where you want to be. Don't get so caught up in the intricacies of your goal setting that you don't actually do what you've set out to do. What can you do right now to get one step closer to your goals?
