By Kris Crews
The body and mind go under stress each day, whether it’s from a job, spending time on social media, spending time with friends and family, traveling, etc. After a while, a reset is necessary to recharge and start with a clean slate. And what better way is there to do that than through a New Year’s resolution(s)? Let’s dive into what a resolution is and how setting one for yourself can be beneficial.
What is a New Year’s Resolution?
A New Year’s resolution is an oath that someone makes to oneself to do something differently in the new year and to stick to certain goals. This goal setting can vary across the board for many different people. Someone’s New Year’s resolution can be going to the gym more, while another person’s might be to save more money and do better with their spending habits. So why is setting resolutions important, not just during the holiday season, but beyond? We’ll get into that, as well as what action plan you can take to not only create these resolutions but stick to them.
Why Resolutions are Important and How to Stay Motivated
Most resolutions happen in the new year, but resolutions can be made any time, day, week, or month of the year. If you’re feeling the need to make the changes, why wait? Resolutions are essential because they help you become the person you’re wanting and hoping to be. Creating these resolutions and goals will heighten your awareness of what’s important to you, help you clear your mind, and provide a higher sense of stability.
So now that you’ve thought about your resolutions and goals for the new year, how can you stay motivated and on track? Here are a couple of helpful tips to keep you aligned:
- Grab a journal: A journal can give you the structure you need to write out your goals. Research shows that writing things down, whether in a journal or on paper, promotes a higher level of thinking. Not only does writing things out increase your focus, but it encourages daily progress. Consider buying a notebook to start writing out your goals or finding journal prompts to keep you steered in the right direction.
- Start with small steps: Taking small steps toward a goal can help the process feel less jarring. When we try to go all-in too fast, it causes burnout. For example, if you decide you want to run a marathon, the next day you wouldn’t run 26.2 miles. You’d take time to start off with a jog one or two times a week. And slowly but surely, you would work your way up to longer runs because of the pace you’ve set for yourself. Get comfortable with taking tiny steps first before achieving the larger goal.
- Create a mood board/dream board: Similar to creating a list or writing in your journal, making a mood board or dream board is an expressive or visionary way to keep track of your goals. Designing your own board can help you see the bigger picture and keep you not only excited about your goals, but consistent too.
- Tell a friend: We often do better when we ask someone to hold us accountable. Doing the work doesn’t mean you have to go at it alone. Ask your friend, accountability partner, or even your therapist if you can share your resolutions with them. When you’re falling off track, they can help remind you of why you started, how far you’ve come, and how far you can keep going. In return, ask them if they have any resolutions or goals they want to share or need help staying consistent in. Teamwork makes the dream work.
- Make reminders in your phone: Technology is all around us and at our fingertips every single day. Sometimes it can be overwhelming thinking about all of the time we spend on our screens, whether it’s social media, emails, texting, phone calls, etc. But one helpful way to utilize your phone that might not make you feel as overwhelmed is your reminders. We remind ourselves to do things constantly for work and so much more, why not have encouraging and motivating reminders too? When you’re feeling down or having an off day, these reminders can support you in getting through the day and give you an extra push to keep going.
Being Gentle With Yourself While Goal Setting
It’s really easy to get down on yourself when trying to do and be better. You have certain expectations of yourself, and when you don’t meet them, it’s easy to be your worst critic. Having bad or off days is normal, but accept that these are inevitable. Though these bad days happen, know that not every day will be like this and that you can get back on track. Not every path is straight, but it doesn’t mean it’s not worth walking.
Take it a step at a time and remember that doing your best in a day is all you can ask of yourself. By tracking your progress, you can see all that you’re accomplishing, whether small or big. And no matter what the achievement, know that it’s important because it’s adding to your development. Remember that progress overrides perfection.
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