For many people the end of January means the last and final death of New Year’s resolutions. They meant well and started January with lofty goals and high hopes. The first two weeks were such probably such a high they never expected it all to come to a screeching halt. It’s sneaky the way old habits creep right back in even when you’re cruising along hitting every mark you have set out to hit. You get sick, or even worse your kid gets sick. Your well laid out plan of eating healthy or making it to the gym everyday is now put on the back burner. Maybe you started off with such excitement that after a few weeks you are now exhausted from all the calorie counting and logging your food or the thought of packing up the kids and heading to the gym when it is freezing outside is just more than you can handle.
Well fear not! January may be over but there is still hope. Here are three steps you can take today to recommit yourself to your goals.
- Start with the end in mind. Think about and write down what your end goal or desired outcome is. Once you have your goal written down(this is very important be sure and write it down and keep it in a place you will see it often) what steps will you need to take to get you there. Break your big goal down into bit size smaller goals that you will then work to achieve.
- Pick one and only one thing at time to work on. One of the biggest reasons that resolutions fail is that people go into them with such gusto that they cannot possibly keep up with everything they are doing. So pick just one thing and work on that until it is a habit and then add something else. If your goal involves eating healthier for example pick just one meal a day to change not all three.
- Find your support system! This is so very important when it comes to sticking to any goal. If you go it alone when you are feeling unmotivated or weak you have no one there to build you up and give you a pep talk. This can come in many forms it doesn’t have to be someone you already know. There are tons of online groups that where you can create connections and draw support from.
So take a deep breath because you can do this. Write you goal or goals down, pick one thing to start with and then find your support person. Keep in mind that even if you miss a day of your goal that doesn’t mean you have to throw in the towel. Keep your end in mind and know that missing one day cannot keep you from achieving everything you have set out to achieve. It will take time but just take it day by day(or sometimes hour by hour if you are really having one of those days!) and you will hit your goal.
