At the start of each new year, many people will create a list of a few things they hope to implement and accomplish by the end of the year. Common goals include anything from improving fitness to landing a dream job. Individuals will each start the year hopeful, inspired and motivated to succeed in changing the piece of their life they desire to. But by the time the next year does finally arrive, many of these people will find themselves disappointed at their failure to achieve their New Year’s Resolutions.
This is likely a problem the majority of those who have resolutions face. The motivation to work toward these goals may last a few months or so, but never long enough to actually reach them. We are progress-driven creatures who expect immediate results and when we work too long without seeing any change, we often give up.
The biggest challenge in accomplishing a New Year’s Resolution is to continue working at it for the entire duration of a year. It becomes tempting to give up every time there’s a bump in the road, but with diligence, even the most difficult resolutions can be achieved.
To help all of you out there trying who are trying to better yourselves in the new year, here are a few tips and tricks to help keep you motivated and improving.
Create a select few feasible goals
Before you even set your goals in place, take a moment and reflect on them. Ensure that what you have decided to do is something that is possible for you to succeed at; for example, if your fitness goal is something ridiculous, such as getting to a specific weight much too low for your body type, you are simply setting yourself up for failure. Instead, focus primarily on improving how your body actually looks and feels. Fitness is more than just a number on a scale — it’s a lifestyle and a mindset. If your resolutions aren’t feasible, then you are destined to fail. It is also important to be mindful of how many resolutions you are making. It is important to keep this number relatively low in order to allow yourself to focus on the goals that truly matter. It can be hard to accomplish anything if you are worried about too many things.
Create small steps to reach your larger goals
It can be hard to accomplish a vague goal that has no steps towards reaching it. If you create the large resolution and then come up with a few ways to reach it, you may find success much easier to come by. By writing a guideline of the little things you need to do, the overall target will be less daunting and easier to hit. Instead of just writing a goal such as “Earn a Promotion,” outline ways you can make this happen, such as taking more time to complete work assignments and staying later to show your superiors that this is a job you take seriously.
Track the small progresses
As mentioned earlier, people are very progress-oriented. We want to see that the work we are putting in is getting us somewhere or else we will eventually give up. Be sure to celebrate each little victory along the journey. If you are trying to lose weight, be sure to celebrate how much has already been lost instead of just focusing on how much is left to lose. By tracking each little progression towards your larger goal, you will be more motivated and inspired to continue working hard.
Tell other about your goals to add accountability
In telling other friends or family about your resolutions, you gain a sense of accountability. If there are other people who are paying attention to the progress you are making, they will notice if you slip up and will be there to remind you to keep working. Having close friends around to keep pushing you will create a sense of accountability for your goals. You are less likely to give up if there are other people who realize what you are trying to achieve.
Most importantly, keep trying
If you do slip up, as all people eventually do, it is important to keep going. You cannot let one setback completely stop you from working towards your goal. Have the diligence to keep going no matter how bumpy the road becomes or what events may happen to push you back. This is incredibly important for the goals that may take longer to complete. So long as you don’t stop working you will eventually accomplish what you desire. Nothing is impossible so long as you do not stop trying. You are only a failure once you accept defeat and stop trying.
