The ball drops, the champagne bottles pop, and you find yourself in the beginning of a brand new year. With a new year comes many other things, such as failing to write the correct date on the first try on your papers 80 percent of the time and the obligatory flood of fireworks pictures taking over your social media feed.
But the most important thing coming from New Year’s? A chance at a fresh start with a new year, of course. New Year’s Resolutions have long been a tradition with which many people have a love-hate relationship.
You see, a resolution is a promise to yourself, to family, to whoever about changing yourself for the better. Ranging from losing weight or stopping smoking, to getting out of debt or getting a promotion, to just being a nicer person in general, resolutions come in all shapes, sizes, and severities.
You start out all proud and determined to better yourself, posting pictures with inspirational quotes (“New Year, New Me”) and declaring your resolution to the world. Your resolution is a common conversational topic and you just know that you’re going to succeed this time. Because ‘it’s different this year,’ right?
All of a sudden it’s mid-February, and you realize you totally blew your resolution. Either you forgot it, or you just gave up. We’ve all been there before, and many of us might be there right now. But I’m here to tell you something very important.
It’s not too late! Seriously, jump back on that resolution and get it done. Not sure how? Read on.
Put your goal in plain sight.
Sometimes it helps to make a chart or fill out a calendar specifically for your resolution and put it somewhere you will see it everyday. Give yourself a sticker (I’m serious, this works for more than just grade-schoolers.) every time you hit a milestone or make a step towards succeeding at your goal.
Set deadlines.
Going along with the calendar/chart idea, breaking up your goal into specific deadlines and milestones makes it seem way more achievable than just having one, big goal. Break up your big goal into smaller goals to make it more manageable.
Give yourself pep talks.
Literally get yourself pumped up about your goal. Talk to yourself in front of a mirror. Turn up the jams and rock out. Whatever it takes for you to get hyped about whatever it is that you’re trying to do. Tell yourself that you CAN do it and that you WILL do it.
Get an accountability buddy.
I’ve done this with my best friend when it comes to working out and eating healthy, and it works wonders. Ask someone you know and trust to hold you accountable (and in turn, you could hold them accountable to their goal), meaning that they will keep you on the right track when you start to stray, keep you motivated, and support your goal every step of the way. Have them text you on the daily with inspiration, keep them updated on your progress, and don’t get mad at them when they tell you, “No, calories DO still count during finals week” or “Are you sure you’re hungry, or are you just bored?”.
Don’t be a perfectionist.
Very, very rarely do we ace our New Year’s resolution on the first try with no hiccups or bumps along the way. So, if you get stuck in a rut and backslide a little on your goal, don’t sweat it. That’s not an excuse to ‘accidentally’ keep messing up, though. Actually learn from your mistakes when they happen and get right back on the horse.
Stop making excuses and know that it’s never too late to accomplish your New Year’s resolution. Now that you have these great tips to finally following through on your goals, get out there and get it done. Good luck!
