Four ways to keep your New Year’s Resolutions
After every Christmas, when I’ve eaten too much chocolate cake and watched too much Home Alone, I start thinking about the coming year. I like reflecting on the previous year and what has been good, bad, happy, sad, normal, mad – you get the idea. But it helps me to think about what I could do differently in the year ahead. Therefore, I make New Year’s Resolutions. It is all fine as it is – I am excellent making them, but not awfully good keeping them. I am starting to see why I kept having failed so many times passed mid January… So here are some tips for keeping your New Year’s Resolutions.
1. Be realistic
One year my New Year’s resolution was to read a book a week. Well you can imagine how that worked out! Unrealistic expectations can often make us feel like we’ve failed, but really we’ve just set the bar too high. Sure – dream big, but take it little by little to get there.
2. Promise something you really want
Don’t make a resolution that you should want or what other people tell you to want. It has to be from you. Otherwise you won’t be motivated to do anything about it.
3. Tell your friends about it
The best way to keep your promise. Tell your friends. Don’t keep your resolution a secret. It will encourage you, but it will also encourage others.
4. Don’t be too hard on yourself
There will always be days when you forget or you’re too busy or you just can’t be bothered. Don’t worry about it. It happens to everyone! One of the reasons I have quit before by January 3rd is because I have been frustrated. I’ve been frustrated because I forgot to not eat chocolate or to go for a run, so I just gave up. But if I had not been so hard on myself, I might have kept going a little longer. So don’t be too hard on yourself.
