Okay, it’s that time of the new year where we write down about 10 resolutions with confidence of seeing them through. The New Year is a great opportunity to reflect and focus on what you’d like to change. Whether this means getting in shape or building better work habits or having more time for hobbies.
Unfortunately, according to surveys, 70-80% of people don’t even last one month with their resolutions. But why is that?
Of all the factors that cause you to give up, the most common is not having a clear action plan. Just writing them down won’t do, therefore we want to give you just a few pointers on how to turn your resolutions into reality.
“By changing nothing, nothing changes.” – Tony Robbins
1. Mentally prepare for change
Changing ingrained habits is no easy task, so before diving head-first into your New Year goals, it is important to take a step back and get ready for that impending change.
The first breakthrough in change is taking a personal inventory. Being that it’s the end of one year and the beginning of the next; it’s perfect timing to take stock in the past year’s accomplishments. Think about the following:
- What did I set out to do in the past year?
- Where did I make progress?
- Where didn’t I see progress?
Naturally, your resolution may focus on areas that lack progress, but don’t forget to savor the progress made, and find some small way to celebrate.
2. Limit resolutions to a manageable amount
A common mistake in resolution setting is having too many and spreading yourself too thin. We all want to learn 25 different languages, 15 new job skills, and eliminate 5 bad habits, but we are not superheroes. We only have so much attention span we can dedicate to self-improvement, so having too many resolutions is a great way not to achieve the many goals you have set out for yourself.
Thus, you should make a short list of resolutions that you can manage in the upcoming year. Knowing that short list of priorities is the hard part. The key here is understanding how to prioritize.
3. If you fall off track, get back on quick
Lastly, we’ve established it will take time for your resolution to become a reality and we know change is difficult. In fact, we’ve already established we should leave some room for mistakes and setbacks.
Keep the following ideas in mind:
- Skipping an intermediate task is not a complete failure
- Missing a goal by 10% or even 80% is not a complete failure
- Finishing a task late is not a complete failure
- A moment of weakness is meaningless in the grand scheme of things
Setbacks can happen, but so long as they are handled correctly, they will not impact the big goal. The key is to avoid a defeatist attitude at all costs
We understand how hard it can be to turn your life around but we believe in the power of baby steps. Give yourself grace to achieve whatever you’ve written down for your 2021 and remember to focus on the carrot, not the stick. We believe in you.
“You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – A.A. Milne