How to Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Last | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

How to Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Last

A quicker way would be to not make any at all

2
How to Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Last
MoviePilot.com

It’s January. It’s cold, your boots are leaking, and you can’t return that sweater your mom got you. I get it; this is the worst month of the year (besides March, which is a nothing month and will never be April). To distract yourself from the misery that is winter without any more holidays (besides Valentine’s Day, which is almost worse than no-holidays), you’ve decided to make some New Year’s Resolutions.

You’ll make the plan directly after eating that third slice of pie and drinking too much Bailey’s. Sitting in your own disgrace, not having worked out in a few days because your mom needs you to help decorate the tree, you make New Year’s Resolutions in order to make order out of the chaos that is your life.

Am I getting too deep? Are you creeped out by how much I know your life?

New Year’s Resolutions are kind of the “Let’s hang out sometime!” of the holiday world. You throw them into the universe, hoping they’ll stick, but too often they fall flat. But NOT THIS YEAR!!!

Here are some ways that you can make your resolutions stick (for the low, low price of $29.99 a month to my Venmo account):

1). Don’t make them for the whole year

A huge part of keeping to a resolution deals with practicality. Are you really sure that you’re going to be able to commit to something for 365 days? Think of this last year; we had no idea what was in store for us on Dec. 31, 2015. 2017 might be crazy, so don’t try to commit to something before you see how the year pans out.

2). Goal-oriented

Set small goals for yourself. When I was feeling unmotivated at the gym, I set a goal for myself: go five days a week for three weeks, and I would buy myself a super-nice workout hoodie. It was the perfect amount of time: short enough where I wouldn’t get discouraged, but long enough where I didn’t get immediate gratification and then give up. Habits are typically solidified after fourteen days, so by setting a goal just beyond that, you’re putting yourself in the position to keep doing something even after you reach your goal.

3). Diversify

Much like holdings in the stock market, you shouldn’t put all your resolutions in one basket. If all of your goals are workout-oriented, but you’re a miserable loser, at the end of the resolution, you might look great, but you’re still an awful person to be around. Body, yes, but mind and soul as well. I saw a YouTuber who was doing a month of no-complaining, and it seems challenging but totally intriguing.

4). Tell One, Tell All

Don’t be annoying about it, because telling someone your resolutions is a little like telling someone your dreams, but feel free to tell a friend so that you’re kept accountable. Big or small, knowing that someone knows even one of your resolutions might encourage you to keep at it.

5). Venmo me

Seriously. $30.

6). Don’t be so rigid

You’re human (I hope). There might be a marathon of Barefoot Contessa on, or you might break a limb, thus stopping you from fulfilling a resolution. Be gentle with yourself, and don’t let small missteps discourage you. The whole idea behind resolutions is becoming a better person, and part of being a person (I’m told) is making mistakes.

There are six ways that you can make sure your New Year’s Resolutions stick! Now get out there and make 2017 everything you want it to be.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

125823
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

28047
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less
Health and Wellness

10 Hygiene Tips For All College Athletes

College athletes, it's time we talk about sports hygiene.

26136
Woman doing pull-ups on bars with sun shining behind her.

I got a request to talk about college athletes hygiene so here it is.

College athletes, I get it, you are busy! From class, to morning workouts, to study table, to practice, and more. But that does not excuse the fact that your hygiene comes first! Here are some tips when it comes to taking care of your self.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments