It’s that time of the new year where everyone is trying to better themselves and improve their life. Some are successful, but most aren’t. That’s because 90% of new year’s resolutions are based in idealism instead of reality.
Please, keep your promise to yourself so you can finish 2021 with all of your goals achieved. Here are some helpful tips to get you on the right path to a successful resolution and new year.
Set A Reasonable Goal
First of all, don’t bite off more than you can chew. Pick one or maybe two goals to aim for and stop there. Anyone with a laundry list of new year’s resolutions will never be successful because they’re trying to do too much. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when starting new goals.
Choose an achievable goal that is completely reasonable for you to attain by the end of 2021. Have you done anything similar before that you can compare to this new resolution? The best goals are the ones where you’re building or improving on a skill you already have.
If you’re already a runner, try to increase your speed. Maybe you have a hobby you love, like crochet, but you have difficulty getting the stitches right. Improving on a skill that you already have is the best way to ensure your resolution is successful.
Don’t set an unattainable goal, and remember that unattainable looks different for everyone. For example, just because your friend was able to run a 5K in less than a year doesn’t mean you’ll be able to. Keep your goals in the realm of possibility, and if you reach them faster than you thought you would, that’s great!
Create A Plan
Research your goal so you know exactly how to achieve the result you wanted. Read the stories of other people who have completed this goal or are experts in the field and take some of their advice. It’s okay not to know everything, but when the internet is at your disposal, you might as well use it to your advantage.
After you’ve learned as much about the topic as possible and the best ways to improve, set smaller and even more attainable goals. Make them weekly or monthly to help you stay on your timeline. These mini-goals should help you get closer and closer to your big goal. These mini-goals could look like reading a chapter a week, knocking a few points off your golf game, or anything small as long as it builds over time.
Write these mini-goals down for the entire year and create a tracking sheet. If you like bullet journaling or being creative, make it look pretty and exciting, so you’ll want to continue on your journey, and you’ll be less likely to lose or throw out your tracking sheet. Check off each of the mini-goals you’ve accomplished so you can see how far you’ve come.
How To Stay On Track
Don’t compare yourself to anyone you see on social media. Most people don’t post the hardships they face or their failures. They only post their successes. Social media is just a highlight reel of what’s really going on in their life, and it’s incredibly unfair for you to compare your real life to someone’s brightest moments.
It’s really easy to doom scroll through Instagram and be hard on yourself when you’re not where you want to be in life. It’s important to remember that your journey is amazing and completely unique to you. Plus, someone out there would love to be where you are; you are someone else’s ideal.
That being said, social media can also help you keep on track! Post your goal on social media and make it public. Make a highlights reel on Instagram or a TikTok series and share your journey. Everyone will love to see your progress, and making it so public will help keep you accountable. You might even find a few friends on a similar path to help you along the way.
If social media isn’t your thing, get your friends and family involved. Send out a mass text and tell everyone what your resolution is and how you plan on accomplishing it. Let them know any way they can help you along the way or help keep you on track.
Finally, a rewards system is an excellent incentive for more challenging goals. For every five mini-goals or every month, reward yourself. Get dinner from your favorite restaurant, get something off your Wishlist, or put money aside for a larger purchase when you reach your final goal.
Give Yourself A Break
This is the most important aspect of reaching a goal or fulfilling a new year’s resolution; you have to be kind to yourself. Being hard on yourself or being extra strict won’t get you very far and might even make you give up on your goal sooner rather than later.
If you miss a day or even a week of tasks to reach your goal, you have to remember that it’s okay. Life gets in the way, and missing a little bit of time doesn’t mean you’re a failure. Even if you’re a little bit worse when you get back to it, the most important thing is that you started again.
If you miss a goal or you’re not getting better at the speed you want, don’t panic and don’t give up. Successful people will tell you that the only thing that matters is that you keep trying. Never give up, and you will never fail. In case you find yourself not hitting your mini-goals as quickly as you would like, keep going. Just reevaluate and continue at a slower pace.
Finally, it was said once, but it’s worth repeating, never compare yourself to others. It doesn’t matter who they are, where they started, or where they are now. You’re on your own journey, and their journey should not affect yours. Reach your new year’s resolution for you and no one else.
