It's that time of year again. The time where we all make those pesky resolutions that we can never seem to keep. Making a resolution is hard enough, especially when it's upsetting knowing that in a few weeks, or even days, you'll lose sight of what you were striving for and end up in the same pattern of living you life. So, what can you do to make your resolution better and easier to stick with? Make it specific, make it achievable, make it timely, and make it rewarding.
Something that we all tend to do is make goals that are way too advanced for where we are. Saying that we are going to completely change something about ourselves in a few short weeks is impossible. Setting these high goals for ourselves can be upsetting and in return we always fall flat. So instead of setting a goal that is way to difficult, set your goal as something more achievable. Make your goal something that you know for a fact you can accomplish within a few months. Baby steps are the way to plan instead of thinking immediately at the big picture.
When you are creating those baby steps, be specific. Create a small goal that outlines what you want to accomplish and how you are going to get there. Think of things that could get in your way and think of ways to get around those distractions. Get down to the base of your goal, and create vague steps on how you will get there. Give yourself a time frame. Decide if this is going to take you months or weeks. Be generous and don't make it an extremely small time frame. Making your time frame too soon could discourage you if you still have not accomplished your goal in time. Change takes time and that's okay. Have patience and perseverance and you will accomplish anything you set your mind to.
Set up a starting date of when you will start making baby changes to aim toward your end goal. Decide when is the day you will consciously start to work toward your resolution. Finally, make sure that your goal is rewarding for you. Whatever you decide to do, do it for you. Do it to make yourself happy. Do it because you want to. You aren't going to stick with something if you really don't care about changing. Make sure it's something that you know you want or need to change and do it. Surround yourself with those who push you and support you toward your goal, not people who tear you down. Your environment is important in your success, so change it and make it what you want to be surrounded with. The negative people in your life will not help you reach that goal, so make sure that they are not involved with your process.
Through it all, whatever you decide to do for your resolution this year, know that you can do it. Your resolution is achievable. Stick with it and you can do anything you set your mind to. Keep thinking positive and get ready for your best year yet.
