It’s that time of year again, when we get all grown up and reflect on the year gone by and make all these (well-meaning) promises to ourselves for a better, healthier and happier 2017. So how do we make those tough New Year’s Resolutions really stick?
Here are five tired and tested ways of making sure you keep those promises to yourself.
1. Make a New Year’s Resolution with a close friend
Chances are, you’re not the only one wanting to lose a few kilos off your waistline or be a more charitable person in the New Year. The good thing about making a New Year’s resolution with a friend is that you are not only accountable to them, but you can support each other and deepen your friendship in the process.
2. Create a vision board
This may sound really life-coach-style cheesy, but there’s a reason why visualization is a mental tool featured in almost all self-help books. By creating a vision board you’re not only focusing your mind and body, but it also acts as a daily reminder of your New Year goals and dreams.
3. Post your New Year’s Resolution to social media
And post updates about it. This way you put your good intentions out there and create a dimension of social pressure which could help push you to be more disciplined, driven and focused. It also an easy way to track your progress.
4. Keep an open mind and be willing to adapt
Of course each New Year brings its own set of challenges and obstacles that could threaten to derail your New Year aspirations (nothing like that an invitation to a party on the 2nd of January to scupper your Dry January Challenge). Here is where keeping an open mind to change and being willing to adapt to difficult situations can help keep you on the path to making your resolutions stick.
5. Be Realistic
There is a fine balance to maintain between realism and idealism. The chances of you being a millionaire by the end of 2017 are very slim, but that doesn’t mean it’s entirely impossible. Break down your major life goals into small, manageable pieces that can be achieved within one year and work consistently towards reaching them throughout the year.
Forming new habits are notoriously hard. So maybe this year, you can resolve not to try and change, but to just like yourself a little better?
Feature also appeared here
