Only about 8 percent of people actually fulfill their New Year's resolution. 8 percent.
That's not a lot, obviously. In their defense, life gets in the way. It's hard to completely change your ways or break old habits. So, with the New Year coming up, I've decided to give you three tips that will ensure you either succeed in your resolution (or are happy with the outcome).
1. Keep it on the DL
If you're the kind of person that gives up easily, don't post on every social media platform and tell everyone you know that you're going to run a marathon, when everyone knows that you've never been a runner before. Don't advertise to all your friends and family what you plan on doing. Keep your resolution on the down low, maybe don't even tell anyone. While social support can be very beneficial, it can give you a sense of self-pressure, which can cause anxiety and you might shut down. If you're anything like me, which means that you tend to feel anxious very easily, I would suggest keeping your goals to yourself.
2. Be realistic
One time my therapist said something that has really resonated with me. While I can't remember what she said word for word, it was something along the lines of, "you must not hate them enough if you haven't put in the work to change it." Humans are stubborn and they're determined. If we want something, it will happen. Don't say something, complain about something if you've never actively put in the work to change or to grow. Set a goal that is realistic for yourself and what you know you can accomplish. A part of you that you need changed.
If your goal is to travel around the world, that's not realistic if you work a minimum wage job and are $40,000 in debt. Start small, because the more you win at the little goals, the big picture will fit together in the end.
3. Habit Tracker
Use an online tracker, or make your own. Make it pretty with pastel highlighters and stickers, or just use tally marks. Either way, track your progress via your habits. A visual representation will really help you figure out how often you are doing something and it can also show you how far you've actually come. When you do things a little bit at a time, it's hard to see the results because you have nothing to compare it too.
Also, something I would like to add, you don't have to set a new resolution at the beginning of the year. You can change yourself and become whoever you want to be, whenever you want to. Whether that day is January 1, 2019, or September 27, 2023. Everyone has their own timeline, it doesn't have to coincide with a traditional new year.
