We’re three months into the new year and if you’ve already given up on achieving your new year resolutions, don’t worry- you’re not alone. As a matter of fact, according to U.S. News, 80 percent of resolutions fail by the second week of February, so it’s pretty rare that the odds are in your favor, anyway.
However, just because your new year resolutions may not have made it through the winter season, doesn’t mean you have to give up and push them off in the hopes of tackling them next year – you still have 9 months left in 2018 to make things happen.
If you’re looking to get back on board with accomplishing your goals, read on for some beneficial tips to incorporate into your daily routine that will help you make sure your resolutions stick.
Start simple and small
If you want to go to the gym in order to get in better shape, try setting the intention of going to the gym three or four days a week instead of saying you’ll go to the gym every day. If you want to go on a diet or eat healthier, introduce yourself to healthy alternatives such as replacing ice cream with yogurt, instead of completely throwing out food that you eat on a regular basis. Starting off small teaches you patience and can help you accomplish more over time.
Ease into the change
Change isn’t always easy and although you probably had the best intentions when you started your resolutions, it may have been a difficult transition if you went in with an “all or nothing approach.”
While it’s nice to have the tenacity to want to go “all in” with knocking your goals off your list, tackling your goals can be just as effective if you take your time and embrace the journey, depending on the goal. It also helps to work on one thing at a time. If you have three resolutions you want to achieve, start off with focusing on one and eventually work your way to accomplishing the others.
Don’t be hard on yourself
Simply put, you may have moments where you just can’t deal with working on your goals and honestly, that’s okay. Remember, it’s completely normal to have a busy day at work and not be able to make it to the gym as you planned.
Don’t give up completely when you skipped gym day because you were busy or had one too many cookies and broke your diet. Everyone has their highs and lows. The good thing is, you can recover from these slip-ups and start again.
Treat yourself
Once you’ve created a habit or have completed your resolutions, reward yourself! If you have a resolution that requires work over a long period of time, however, start a reward jar at the beginning of your resolution journey and every time you work towards it, put one dollar in the jar. At the end of the year, use that hard earned money to take yourself shopping or treat yourself to a nice dinner and a movie.
Find support
It’s always nice to find others who are working towards similar goals, so if you have any family or friends that have new year’s resolutions as well, start or join a support group with them. Finding other people who start a journey to make themselves better, is not only motivation to help you stay the course with your resolutions, but you also have a group that can hold you accountable and encourage you to keep going.
Remember, new year’s resolutions should help you recognize that a positive lifestyle change is needed, rather than focusing on the breadth of the change itself, so work towards making the important change, one step at a time.
