Your Path Toward Successful New Year’s Resolutions

As the year draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on the past year, be thankful for the happy times and learn lessons from the not-so-good ones. It is around this time that most people start dreaming big for the next year. Although they are determined to achieve their goals, 80% of people give up on their resolutions before the end of February. Year after year, following the same pattern of breaking resolutions can have an impact on one’s mental health. To understand how we can make our yearly goals successful, let’s try to understand why most people give up.

While the idea of changing habits or starting new ones seem like a good idea, sometimes people are not ready to make the change. It is a half-hearted decision made due to the pressures of the holiday season. Another reason is accountability. It is hard to keep up with uncomfortable new habits when we are not accountable to anyone. Being answerable and keeping track helps motivate us when we feel like giving up. Other common reasons are lack of planning, overconfidence, and not considering what needs to be given up to build new habits.

The key to successful New Year’s resolutions lies in preparing ahead. It involves taking the opportunity to think through and plan meticulously ahead of time.

1. Start with small and specific goals

It is important to have 1 or 2 habits to work on instead of a whole list of them. Change is uncomfortable and taking on too much at a time can be overwhelming. Being specific about your goals can make it easier to visualize the path to success. For example, instead of setting a goal to watch less TV, make it something like watching only 30 minutes of it a day. You can better measure your progress this way.

2. Make a plan

Once you have a specific goal ready, it’s time to write down a plan for how you’d achieve it. Continuing with the TV example, plan what you’ll do instead of watching TV, what time of day to watch your daily 30 minutes of a program, and which program to watch.

3. Prepare for obstacles

During the first few days, it will be difficult to keep up the progress. Planning for these difficulties and preparing for them is a good way to ensure you will stick to your plan. You can write yourself a letter of encouragement or revise your plan.

4. Hold yourself accountable

Having an accountability partner to share your wins and setbacks is another way to help you reach your goal. Tell your friends and family about your resolutions. In turn, listen to their resolutions as well. Maybe some of them overlap with yours. Support each other and talk through what works.

5. Learn from the past

If you’ve made resolutions in the past and gave up on them, try to think about why they didn’t work. Ask yourself if it’s likely to happen again. If your answer is yes, make a game plan to change the narrative.

6. Don’t let failure throw you off balance

This is where most people lose confidence and give up. You may not be able to stick to your resolutions every day.  The best thing you can do is to get back in the game and start again after a few off-days. Remember, you have 11 months to achieve your goals.

7. Know your WHY

While following your resolutions may be hard in the beginning, remember why you’re making these changes. Is it for the sake of your health? To be a better parent or friend? Remind yourself of this to keep motivated. Many people let the initial difficulty of those first few days and weeks dissuade them from continuing. They lose sight of their why.

Conclusion

The best time to reflect on yourself and plan for a better you is right now. When the new year rolls in, you’ll be ready to make your new year’s resolutions successful. So go and write out what habits you want to change and pick one to get started. Our habits determine the kind of lives we lead and worthwhile life is attributed to worthwhile habits.