The New Years’ season has many of us excited for 2020 and what it has to offer. New Year’s resolutions are of course quite common around this time, as people want to become the best versions of themselves. What many don’t realize, however, is that most New Year’s resolutions will not be fulfilled. In fact, up to 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail. There are many reasons as to why this continuously happens, whether it be due to unreasonable resolutions, bad planning, or even lack of passion and drive. There are ways that you can think ahead, however. Doing so can make sure that you are as prepared as possible to tackle your resolution in the new year.
1. Find something that will inspire you

The key to accomplishing anything is having the will power to do so. Identifying your driving force will give you a reason to actually follow through with your resolution. For example, you can choose to get healthier in the new year because you were inspired by the idea of feeling better in control of your body. This type of inspiration can especially be useful during the rougher times of the year when your resolution becomes hard to focus on
2. Make specific resolutions

A broad resolution offers up too many areas of confusion. Setting something vague like “I want to work out more” makes it difficult to actually create a plan. How much is “more”? What do you consider “working out”? How do you know when you’ve worked out enough? To avoid this problem, first, start by writing down your end goal. Then, write down smaller resolutions that help you get to your big one. For example, you can have a smaller resolution of running at least one mile a week building up to a larger one of getting fit.
3. Write down your goals

Nothing solidifies your goals more than having them in writing. You can do anything from posting your goals onto your fridge, writing them down in a frequently used journal, or even hanging them up somewhere in the house. Having the goals written somewhere will serve as a reminder for what you promised yourself to do.
4. Check-in with yourself regularly

Many don’t realize how important accountability is. Check-in with your progress as often as you can. Ask yourself how the year has been going so far, what were your lows, what were your highs, and what you can improve on. Taking a moment to check in with yourself will allow you to really gauge your success and how much more you may have to do. You can also take this time to celebrate even the littlest of success. Remember that it is okay to have occasional slip-ups as long as you acknowledge them and begin to address them in a healthy manner.
5. Don’t always rely on others

Having a support system can be amazing, but there are some precautions you should take with this. Relying too heavily on someone else can end up negatively affecting your growth. For example, asking a loved one to deter you from drinking soda may initially sound like a good idea as it can ease your worries over cravings. However, what happens when you have gotten used to them stopping you? At that point, you’ve relied on another to carry your own resolution. Feel free to have some form of support during your resolution, but continuously ask yourself if you’re getting a little too much help.
Works Cited:
Mickle, K. (2018, January 1). How to Make (and Keep) Your New Year's Resolutions. Retrieved from Self: https://www.self.com/story/new-year-resolution-handbook
Tabaka, M. (2019, January 7). Most People Fail to Achieve Their New Year's Resolution. For Success, Choose a Word of the Year Instead. Retrieved from Inc.: https://www.inc.com/marla-tabaka/why-set-yourself-up-for-failure-ditch-new-years-resolution-do-this-instead.html
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