The new year is usually full of proclamations of a renouncement of a bad habit, or an intention to join an overly-crowded gym. Setting a new year’s resolution is an incredible opportunity to set goals for the following year. However, truthfully, the majority of people are unsuccessful when it comes to reaching the finish line.
We're here to give you the good news; January was a trial run! Haven't you see the Facebook posts? Starting a resolution in February is where it's at.
When starting in February, you can skip all those crowded gyms, and instead be inspired by seeing the results of the regulars. You'll be back to your normal sleeping routine because all your house guests will have finally gone home. And maybe, just maybe, you'll be ready to start regularly buying fruits and vegetables again.
Yes, it will still be tough, but knowledge is power. So, what are the reasons this initial motivation fizzles out? And how can we stay committed? The key to success begins with gaining a deeper understanding of how our emotions affect our goals. The following are 5 tips on how to tactfully set a resolution—and actually keep it this time!
- Break it down. It’s certainly ok to make an ambitious goal for yourself, but it’s important to remember that you have an entire year! Try breaking down your resolution into bite-size pieces with specific deadlines. This will help you with accountability. It will also help avoid a sense of feeling overwhelmed which could cause you to abandon ship.
- Don’t beat yourself up. Self-doubt is one of the leading causes in resolution abandonment. Instead of thinking about all of the obstacles in your way, remind yourself why you chose this particular resolution. Giving yourself words of encouragement and celebrating mini milestones along the way, will help big time when it comes to not giving up.
- Be ready for failure. There will be tough days when you’re feeling lazy or maybe just a bit down on yourself. You might stumble or fall down. But don’t let a little hiccup ruin all the work you’ve put in! Recognize the roadblock and make appropriate adjustments. Learn from your mistakes. If you go into your goal knowing that these little failures will likely happen throughout your journey, you will be less discouraged and more apt to grow from them versus give up completely.
- Patience is a virtue. A major mistake many people make is expecting to see results immediately. Like, first-week-of-January immediately. Unfortunately, habitual behavior can take a VERY long time to change and it’s important to not become impatient with yourself. If you are truly being honest with yourself and consistently making [small] improvements, the big results will come... eventually.
- Only you can do it. The two most important things you can do while working towards your goal are: (1) make the conscious decision to not give up, and (2) take full accountability for your progress. Don’t ever forget that it was you who started this and only you that can finish it!
Do you have a resolution you're committed to this year? Put it in writing. Comment below.
Of course we at Eldorado Natural Spring Water are huge proponents of drinking more water and are hoping to stay optimally hydrated this year. We encourage you to join us!