So, how is everyone doing on their New Year's resolutions?

For some of you, I am sure you feel like you’re doing just fine, while others might have already forgotten about what they wanted for this new year.

Many times people struggle because they are looking for a quick fix.

I am sorry to break it to you, but quick fixes are usually not possible. Earlier this year (I mean, last) I was looking for a quick fix to anxiety, and I am sure many other people are too. I started doing research of how to get rid of it and I thought if I ate a vegan diet, exercised, told myself positive affirmations, and went out despite my negative feelings I would automatically feel better even after one day. When I tried these things I didn’t see a result, and then I gave up. I just thought I could wallow in self-pity until one day the world blessed me with what I wanted. That is when I discovered an inspiration of mine who reminded me that goals are not a quick fix, goals are a lifestyle. If you want to lose weight, then don’t expect that one day at the gym will fix you right up. Start going to the gym, every day, until it’s not just a plan, it’s a part of your daily routine. This will become your lifestyle. If you have to change parts of your life or people in your life in order for you to follow your goals, then do it. It might be hard, but if your goal is worth it and certain aspects of your life are bringing you down, then don’t let those things bring you down. Because if it is worth it, this new lifestyle you are making for yourself is completely necessary even if it doesn’t feel comfortable at first.

Other times people struggle because they don’t make specific enough goals.

I notice that a lot of people will make New Year's resolutions that are not specific enough, making their goals harder to achieve and making them more frustrated. Maybe they just make these goals because of tradition, but in the end, everyone in the world usually has at least one goal that they want to achieve to better themselves. For example: back on the topic of losing weight; people will make the simple goal of “I want to lose weight”. And? The real question is, HOW are you going to lose weight? A better and more achievable goal might be to lose weight by going on a thirty-minute run every day. You can even add onto it by promising that every day you will decrease your break time by ten seconds so that by the end of the year (or sooner) you will be running for a full thirty minutes without stopping. Then once this has been achieved you might be able to go on longer runs which will result in desired weight loss. By that time it will even be a lifestyle and you will thank yourself even more.

Moving onto another subject: friends and family. People will often say that they want to spend more time with their friends and family. SO, How are you going to do this? It depends on each individual's friends and family, but an example on how to expand on that might be that you are going to grab coffee with someone you want to get closer with at least once a week. In this situation, you might want to let your friends and family know that you want to spend more time with them so that they can help you too. If you’re just a busy person, make time in each day to spend a little time with family. All of that time you waste on social media, on the internet, or watching TV could be spent with someone you love and care about.

So make things apart of your day instead of a plan. Make your goals ahead of time. Every time you notice an inconvenience in your life, get rid of it by making a goal plan like so.

All of your goals are achievable if you make your goals happen whether it's a new year or just another day. There is no time to waste in this lifetime, so keep bettering yourself.