It’s month No. 2 of the new year. How are those resolutions looking? Not too good, huh? Not to worry, studies show that less than 10% of people actually follow through with their new year goals throughout the whole year. If you want to be a part of that small percentage then it’s time to refresh your goals with new motivation. Here are four specific ways in which you can ensure success for 2021.
1
Forgive Yourself
Whatever part of the process you’re in, start by forgiving yourself for any mistakes you’ve made, whether that’s something that is actually driving your goals or if it’s something that caused you to slip up on your goals. Motivation and willpower don’t last forever. You’re bound to have difficult days and slip ups. It’s important to be able to forgive yourself so you can keep moving forward; guilt and shame are poor motivators.
2
Make Goals Specific and Attainable
Now that you’re ready to start again, consider revising your goals. Thinking you would like to be better at something is different from writing down that you will create a specific habit. Instead of saying you’d like to save money, write down that each week you’ll put a portion of your paycheck into savings. Also be sure that your goals are attainable; you can always stretch yourself later once you’ve established a foundation that works. While a big goal may start out sounding reasonable, your willpower will slowly decrease and it’ll become difficult to actually make it there. If your schedule could fit three workout days a week but you quickly fatigue, dial it back to one a week and build up from there.
3
Consider Milestones, Definitely Celebrate
It may help to write out a plan or list of milestones for yourself. Whether or not you do, be sure to celebrate your successes! Share your progress with people you care about, reward yourself or even think about taking a day off to relax (though be careful to not spend too much time away from your goals).
4
Stay Consistent When Possible
The average person takes about a month to create a habit from any given practice. If your goal-keeping made it to February, keep going! If not, get back to it when you’re ready. It’s important to keep goals reasonable to prevent an outcome that’s more negative than what you started with, such as trying to increase strength too fast and injuring yourself. It’s okay to scale back on your goals—it’s better to be consistent because your stamina will last longer than your willpower.
Remember at the end of the day that it doesn’t matter when you start your goals, how many times you fail to keep commitments, or how long it takes you to eventually reach where you want to be. What’s important is that you recognize areas you want to be better in and that you’re trying your best, given your circumstances, to push yourself. Just keep trying and you’ll get where you want to be.
You Are Not Alone
Many people strive for similar goals; chances are you’ve considered working towards at least one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions often cited during the holidays. And if you’re thinking of one of these goals, then there’s bound to be someone else in your social circle that is too. Perhaps a buddy system will help give that boost of encouragement you need to keep going.
Popular goals are: