It's a New Year and a New You - How to Keep Your New Year's Resolutions

Do you struggle to keep your New Year's resolutions? More than likely, the excitement of starting a New Year wanes away and you find yourself back into your old routines. 

With proper motivation and the will to change, you can be the exception to this trend. The trick is to turn your optimism for the New Year into concrete actions. Once you start a routine, it becomes easier to follow through.

Whether you're making multiple resolutions or wanting to work towards one bigger goal, be sure to pick something that's achievable within the year's time frame.

Set Achievable and Clear Goals

Strive for making your goals achievable so you don't set yourself up for future failure. For example, let's say your goal is to lose weight. Determine where you stand currently, and then give yourself a goal that can be achieved following the 1-2 pounds per week guideline. 

You'll also benefit from making clear goals. Rather than saying that you want to be thinner, say how many pounds you'd like to lose. Then define the "how" as well. Are you going to follow a specific diet? How are you going to cut calories? Are you going to start a moderate exercise routine? How often?

With a clear, achievable goal and a set plan of tasks you know you can complete, you virtually guarantee your success! You know exactly what you want and how you're going to get there. All you need to do now is take action.

Take Action

Taking action is usually where people tend to run into some trouble. It's easy to get pumped up about an idea, but when it comes down to executing your plan, you might be tempted to fall short.

In this situation, you only need to muster up the energy to start. Tell yourself that you're going to stick to your new plan for one week and then evaluate how it went. On the other hand, if you take everything in all at once, you'll be less likely to begin in the first place. If it looks overwhelming, just focus on the short term.

Form a Routine

The reason you want to take baby steps at first is because once you form a new routine, it's actually easy to hold yourself to it. Some say that it takes as little as two weeks to get a new routine engrained in your brain. 

For example, in the weight loss scenario, starting an exercise routine can be especially grueling if you're out of shape. The first two days can leave you tired, sore, and weak. That doesn't sound like fun at all! However, those first two days are the worst you'll endure. After your routine is built, you may find that you look forward to your exercise sessions. 

Reward Yourself

Reward yourself often for your excellent efforts because you deserve it for working hard to change yourself for the better. You don't need to wait until the end of the year to treat yourself.

Break up your goals into smaller pieces and every time you achieve a milestone, give yourself something that you enjoy. It could be an item you've been wanting or maybe a night out on the town.

Rewarding yourself for a job well done motivates you to keep going! 

Do It Again!

After your first successful year of bettering yourself through New Year's resolutions, you can then repeat the process and work on another aspect of your life. Before you know it, you'll be a perfectly happy and healthy person because of your awareness, perseverance, and hard work!
