New Year's Resolutions: An exciting way to improve yourself for the coming year for your own personal reasons. Resolutions are set for different, individual reasons. Whether you want to lose weight, spend less money, shop more sustainably, improve your mental health, all resolutions are valid. However, setting resolutions is most commonly not the issue; the issue lies in keeping those resolutions. With that being said, here is some advice in committing to your New Year's resolutions for 2021 and upcoming years.
Be specific and realistic.
When setting a resolution that you want to commit to, it is important to be specific and realistic. Get to know yourself and formulate goals that you can see yourself actively practicing. For example, if your New Year's resolution is to spend less money, calculate an average of how much you spend a week or a month on non-essentials. Then, lessen that number into a reasonable amount that you can see yourself committing to. Or, if your resolution is to learn an instrument, set goals for yourself to practice several days a week for a certain amount of time that you can fit into your daily schedule.
Don't rush.
It's important not to rush into your resolutions. I know many people feel pressured to start their resolutions as soon as it's January 1st, however, it is important to realize that you should start when you feel ready. If you start when you don't feel prepared to start, it is likely that you won't keep that resolution throughout the year. However, this also means that you should not push back your resolutions because you don't feel like starting it; there is a difference between starting when you feel ready and not feeling like starting your resolution.
Have a support system.
If your goal is to lose weight or become healthier, ask a friend or family member if they would be willing to go to the gym with your or cook healthy meals with you. It is easier to stay motivated when you have a support system that uplifts you and pushes you to keep going.
Don't be too hard on yourself.
If you feel like you haven't reached a goal or have lost all motivation, don't beat yourself up about it. Sometimes life hands you things that are out of your own control. It's important to be willing to start again, even if it means starting over. Don't accept defeat, and don't settle. Find a way to navigate challenges presented to you, and be resilient.
Record your progress.
Whether you choose to document your progress through writing, photographs, or videos, it is a great way to stay motivated throughout your course of achieving your goal. Set reminders for yourself to note your progress. You can choose to document daily, weekly, monthly, or whatever works best for you. Sometimes, you don't realize that you're making progress, so it can be easy to lose motivation. However, with tracking your growth, it can serve as a boost in confidence and motivation.
