Successful New Years Resolutions

The new year is almost here, and whether you make a resolution or not, this post will give you some tips to stay on track with life goals or changes. A lot of resolutions that are made have to do with health, but a lot of times people break within the first month and only less than half turn out to be successful for the entire year. I've been there too, saying something I wanted to change and then returning back to where I was shortly after. There is something special about sticking to a promise that you make yourself, and the accomplishment you feel when you achieve your goals is amazing.

My dad for example said that he wouldn't eat sweets for 1 year, and he stuck through it. I don't know how he did it, but I am really proud of him and happy that he stuck to his promise.

Here are some of the most popular resolutions that people make on New Years
-Lose weight
-Drink less alcohol
-Eat better
-Quit smoking
-Manage stress
-Save money
-Take a vacation
-Help others

It doesn't mean that your resolutions have to or should fall into these popular categories. Come up with something that you feel would benefit yourself and that you could implement in your own life with ease. An issue is that a lot of people want to lose weight, but they just adopt some "fad" diet. It may wok temporarily, but usually you are left unsatisfied and it's easy fall into the old ways. What I am trying to say is that if you really want to lose weight, or change your habits to be more healthy, you need to implement lifestyle changes. You need to analyze what you can change and truly adapt so you can be successful and feel good about yourself in the long run. It is cool to lose weight and see results over a short span, but in the end you want to eat and live in a way that you can sustain your whole life and feel good about. Below are some tips to sticking with your resolution this year, whether it be for health, happiness, love, etc.!

Tips for a successful resolution this year:
1. Pick something you truly want: Try not to pick something that other people force upon you, but instead pick something that you feel will benefit your life. Make sure that it fits within your own value system as well.

2. Limit your number: Try and stick with two or three instead of six or seven goals. This way you can focus on the goals you truly want, and remember exactly what you promised yourself. It can be easy to overload on the resolutions, but also easy to break the ones that weren't as big of a deal.

3. Specific: Being specific about your goals is important for an effective resolution. For example, if you say you want to exercise more, it would be better to say that you'd workout at the gym on mondays and tuesdays for one hour.

4. Create a plan: Instead of jumping in and attempting to conquer or change something big, create some smaller steps to get there. Have a plan, and figure out exactly what you want to do. This could go along with creating short term, and long term goals, so you can progress and achieve exactly what you desire.

5. Write and visualize: If you write down your goal, and visualize it on a regular basis, it can help you to be more successful and stick with your resolution easier. Make sure you put your list in a place you will view it often so that you can be reminded.

6. Tell a friend: Having someone know exactly what you want to change will help to keep you more on track because your friend can hold you accountable. Share your goals with someone that you know will be supportive and help to motivate you when and if you are feeling down.

7. Forgive yourself: If you fail once, don't sabotage your entire goals for the year. Just pick yourself back up and continue on. Many times people trash their resolutions just because they messed up once or twice. Slipping is part of the process and it happens. We are only human and we make mistakes, and we must learn from them. Believe in yourself.

Thanks for reading! Stay safe this holiday/new years season, and spend it in good company :)

This post is written by Michael.
Adapted from: 
Popular Resolutions
Keeping Resolutions
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