7 Ways to Stick to Your New Year's Resolutions ...

One of the ways to stick to your New Year’s resolutions is to write them down. If you just think about a resolution, it is much easier for it to seem fluid than if you write down what you are specifically resolving to do. It seems much more set in stone when you have a written resolution. You want to work harder to keep them. Having a written resolution is a good idea.

After you have written down your resolutions and maybe even a plan for how you are going to achieve them, post them up around you. Put a copy on your fridge, your desk, in your car, maybe even in your office at work. The more you see them, the more it reminds you to stay on track. It is a constant visual to keep you concentrating on the goals that you have set. This is a great motivational tool for staying strong.

Another way to keep your New Year’s resolutions is to tell others about them. Tell them what they are and how you plan to achieve them. When you do this, you feel more determined to stick to them. You don’t want to have to go back to those same people and confess that you didn’t make it. You want to be able to proudly tell them the progress you are making each time you see them.

Pairing up with a buddy is always helpful in keeping strong about your resolutions. A buddy is a built-in accountability partner and you do not want to let them down. Maybe your New Year’s resolution was to exercise every day and you have a buddy who has the same goal. Plan to exercise together. You know that you can’t let your buddy down so you are more encouraged and motivated to stay strong.

Be intentional about staying strong in your New Year’s resolutions. If your resolution has been to not drink soda anymore, then make intentional decisions that help you to do this. Don’t buy it or bring it into your home. Do what you can to make this goal easy to achieve. Be intentional about avoiding temptation.

I don’t know about you but when I am working toward a goal, rewards keep me on track and help me to stay motivated. Be kind in rewarding yourself for reaching certain benchmarks of goal or for staying on track for certain amounts of time. It can be something small or large; that is up to you. For me, a reward is usually something like a new top, a new book or an evening where I allow myself to do absolutely nothing, which is an extremely rare treat. Whatever a reward is to you, build it into your plan.

If your New Year’s resolution seems overwhelmingly large, break it down into bite sized pieces. Set a goal of reaching a certain portion of it by a certain time and go from there. It is okay if it takes a while. The important thing is that you are working toward it. If you are going forwards, you are not going backwards.

Making a New Year’s resolution isn’t difficult but keeping them sometimes is. What do you plan to do to stay on track with your New Year’s resolutions this year? I would love to know your plan!