Happy New Year to you all and welcome back to The Hub! We’re excited to bring you new and interesting content throughout 2016.
At the start of every year, we all look ahead and wonder what the next 12 months will have in store for us. Will 2016 be better than 2015? Certainly everyone has things they’d like to improve on, which is where the annual resolutions come from.
It’s almost subconscious that we’ll ring in the new year by making promises to ourselves about how this year will be different. They could be the classic ‘get more exercise’ resolution. Maybe it’s a promise to eat better. It could be financial, professional, or relationship goals you seek in 2016. Whatever your resolution, if you are truly serious about them, you have to work hard to make them stick. We have some tips for keeping those resolutions and making this a truly happy new year.
Start now!
No sense in putting it off any longer. A resolution would ideally start on January 1st and end on December 31st (or earlier is you’ve met your goals). Hopefully your resolution is something you want bad enough that you don’t need motivation to begin. These are, however, goals to better ourselves. If they were easy, we would have done them already. So don’t let yourself put it off. Start today and continue tomorrow.
Be realistic.
You may have a dream goal, but you have to be able to recognize if it’s attainable or if it is in fact just a dream. If you want to save more money, you have to set a goal that will allow for substantial savings while also allowing yourself to live comfortably. Setting a realistic weight loss goal is also important. Aiming too high can be discouraging when you don’t get the results you hoped for, and it can also be dangerous if you’re pushing yourself too far. Set limits and understand them.
Don’t do it alone.
As we just discussed, it will do you no good to go in with a blind goal and no idea of what it takes to reach it. Consult professionals if necessary to set those realistic and safe goals. A financial planner can let you know how much you can bare to save. Likewise, a dietician or personal trainer can help with your health goals. Aside from professional help, have someone keeping you motivated and keeping you honest. Even better, find someone to share your resolution struggles with. It will make those hard times a little easier.
Choose short term over long term.
You may think that planning for the long term is the proper way to set out your goals. While that is ambitious, it’s not likely going to keep you motivated. Saying you want to lose X-amount of weight by the end of the year is well and good, but there’s quite a bit of time between January and December. In between you could find yourself making excuses, taking breaks, or planning for a big fourth quarter. Instead, make weekly goals that will build to the ultimate goal. Short deadlines will yield more motivation and more confidence when you reach them.
Don’t go easy on yourself.
Don’t lose track of how well you’re doing, or where you’re seeing yourself slip. Make weekly plans that you’ll stick to and check back to make sure those plans were met. Inevitably life will intrude with your plans. Schedules will change, crisis will occur and the unexpected will happen. Put for those as well and don’t let it become an excuse for not doing the work because it will happen more than once. If you monitor yourself, you’ll know when adjustments need to be made. More importantly, it will let you know you’re sticking to your plans.
Stay positive.
With many resolutions you’ll find there are times when it’s just not fun. The sacrifices and hard work are starting to cloud your view of the end goal and you may reach the point when you ask “is this worth it?” Distract yourself from those thoughts with positive thoughts. Do the things you love and that make you happy that will get you through the tough times. Make them rewards for yourself. And if you feel you can’t enjoy the things you love without breaking your resolution, then truly reconsider your goals, because if it’s going to make you less happy it may not be worth it after all.
Remind yourself why you’re doing this.
Before you set out on your goal, you should know why you want this. Once you have decided why this goal is important to you, write it down. Regularly go back to that reason to keep the goal in the forefront of your mind. Picture your end result and how you’ll feel. Know what that result will get you and how you’ll feel. Keep a diary of your thoughts as you go. Do whatever you need to to remind yourself that this is something you want and you’re doing this for yourself.