It's a never-ending cycle each year. You vow to yourself that you will live at the gym and eat more salads, or you want to cut back on the bad habits from the previous years. And it seems to work for the month of January until you get busy, lazy or just tired of it and go back to your old ways of vegging on the couch or binging on all the seasons of "The Office" on Netflix.
So why don't New Year's resolutions work? We look to the simple psychology and biology of the human body to answer this; because humans are ever changing. Our body's are changing constantly, physically and mentally, and we can't exactly stick to most things in our lives for more than a few months.
Which brings us to the question, "What can we do to fix that?" and this one can be tricky. This is not a problem we can fix overnight, and can take prolonged periods of time to work on. While there is no set solution, we can help the process of completing a resolution easier to do. Here are some tips to making sure you reach your goal for 2016.
Tip #1: Set smaller goals.
Instead of one big resolution for the year, make several smaller ones that are easier to attain so that you can work on more things and achieve more during the year. It could be anything from drinking more water during the week or doing more random acts of kindness during the month of June. As the year goes on, your goals become easier to accomplish and you become more in check with your actions.
Tip #2: Keep a record of things you want to change.
Throughout the year when you notice you might be slipping in school or you need to save your money more, keep a record of the resolution.
Tip #3: Have accountability partners.
If you want to eat healthier or work out more, ask a friend to join in with you so you both have a reliable person to work toward the goal. Make sure that your friend is really in it to win it, to ensure your success toward finishing the goal.
Tip #4: Have fun with it.
On of the most important things is to have fun with whatever you do. Keep a healthy balance of resolutions to help your career, family, mental and physical health, and resolutions to live more in the moment. Take more road trips, go to more concerts, do something that would frighten you, or plan to live more for each day.
Tip #5: Don't let your failures ruin your year.
Throughout the year, you'll face some difficult things, and not all of your goals will be completed. But use your feelings to persevere and to work harder on other goals or to retry the ones that failed. Failures don't define you, but how you react does.
No matter how you spend your year, make sure to live it to its full potential. be smart with your decisions of what you do, and make sure to work hard toward something you care about. I hope the new year gives you the best time of your life, and you get the most of the year. Happy 2016!
