Every year, January rolls around and we always seem to come up with the same, or similar, resolutions without fail: “I want to lose weight,” “I want to save more money,” “I want to spend more time with my family,” etc. We manage to make it to the gym a few times, and put away some money here and there, but life gets busy and before we know it, nothing changes. While it’s comforting to know that this happens to several people every year, it’s also really simple to keep those resolutions with just a few tips:
Forgive yourself! It’s okay to stray from our diets or exercise routines, or whatever our resolutions are sometimes. Imperfection is the most perfect part about being human! When making changes in our lives, it’s most important to keep in mind that the purpose of those changes is to make us better. Learning where things went wrong and working to prevent it from happening again is where the real changes take place anyways! So, when you skip the gym today, remind yourself that it’s okay, and you’ll be back in the gym tomorrow.
Change the way you think about the resolution! One of the most popular New Years resolutions is, “wanting to lose weight.” This can be a stifling and even sometimes, frustrating, process to begin for some. You’re not alone! Eating more healthily and working out regularly can affect our lives in ways that just simply aren’t convenient enough, and that’s where things start to go south. However, maybe by changing the resolution from “I want to lose weight” to “I want to be healthier”, it doesn’t become about seeing numbers on a scale decrease anymore, it becomes about waking up feeling better and so much more. Take the stairs at work instead of the elevator, or park a little farther away from the store and get your body moving. Changing the way we think can make simple, but big changes to help us be more successful!
Make it fun! Typically, the resolutions and goals we set for ourselves at the beginning of the year are not the most fun or the easiest to do-that’s why we wait a whole year to even attempt them! Going into a new year should be exciting and full of possibility, not dim and unexciting due to all of the changes we want to make, but don’t want to put the work into. It doesn’t have to be and shouldn’t be like this! Set some goals, then reward yourself for reaching them. For example, if your resolution was to save more money, every $100 saved, treat yourself to a nice dinner! Giving yourself something to look forward to every step of the way to a better you will make it seem like time is flying by, and before you know it, you’ll have that money saved up for a vacation!
How will you help yourself be more successful in 2018? We’d love to hear some of your tips as well!