At the best of times, January can be a stressful month. You are resetting after the holiday season and usually trying to plan, or set a course, for yourself and your family over the next 12 months. It is thus the time when you make resolutions: commitments and/or goals that you would like to achieve.

However, when we tend to think of resolutions, often they seem to be made in abstraction: half-hearted promises we make to ourselves. Although at the time you may have meant them, frequently, your resolutions were made off-the-cuff, and with little consideration of how these would fit into your life.

To improve your chances of success, in other words, that they stick, it is crucial that your resolutions are effective. We set out a few tips to help you get on track and stay on track.

 

Do a Recap of the Past Year(s)

A good starting point is to audit yourself and your life: where you are across all facets, where you would like to be; key strengths you have; and constraints that ought to be considered. The point is to ensure that you are preparing the proper stage or context within which you will set intentions about your future.

If you made resolutions in the recent past, examine the progress made. Also, if you did not achieve the goals established, what were the reasons? At the end of the exercise, you ought to have a better sense of where you are and should be in a position to build going forward.

 

Identify Your Priorities

Having assessed your past and to help you decide what goals you ought to set, consider your priorities. It is a great idea to refer to your life plan or the blueprint you have prepared for your life. In the Journey To Growth Life Plan, you would have already identified priority areas of your life and goals you want to achieve, which you can again refer to with a view to being proactive and intentional in realising those targets.

If you do not have a life plan, knowing your priorities will be crucial to identifying goals that are important and should truly add value to your life. Ultimately, for the sacrifices and commitments you will be making, the goals that should enrich your life and once again, move you forward on the path you have envisaged for yourself.

 

Determine Your ‘Why’

One of the reasons we do not keep our resolutions is the fact that they were half-hearted in the first place. For example, when we say we want to join a gym and lose weight, but six weeks in, we abandon it, we ought to ask ourselves some questions: Why did we abandon that goal? Weren’t we serious enough? Was it just vanity or not important enough?

 In whatever goals we set, we need to ensure that the underlying reasons have deep personal value or importance to us. Those reasons will help us to make sacrifices and to prioritise the effort to achieve the resolutions we have set.

 

Identify Milestones to Track Your Progress

For almost any goal you have set, and more so when you have big, hairy and audacious goals, it is important to celebrate the small wins: the little victories you have along the way towards achieving an end goal. For example, if the plan is to run a half marathon in the next 12 months and you have signed up for your first 5K race having been a couch potato for the past five years, acknowledge that achievement.

More importantly, milestones (or mini goals) become mile markers and you move towards your final target. They can help keep you committed and motivated, especially when the final goal is still far away and out of reach.

 

Make Your Goals Visible

The saying, “Out of sight, out of mind”, has never been truer than when applied to our resolution-setting efforts. Usually, when we make goals we write them down (or not!), and that is it. However, there is a considerable benefit in keeping these resolutions top of mind: in other words, highly visible and where we cannot miss them, and get into the habit of considering them in our schedule.

Ideally, the resolutions should be written down, and referenced often. Several copies should be made, to place on your fridge, in your journal, among your daily, weekly and/or monthly planning materials, on your phone and as reminders, etc. Those who are creatively inclined could prepare a vision board, which could be either digital or using a scrapbooking approach for example. However, it is emphasised that the goals need to be visible, with the necessary prompts to ensure that you keep them in mind as you plan your day, week or month.

 

Be Kind to Yourself and Keep Trying

Finally, even when you are conscientious, life happens and the best-laid plans go awry. When that happens, or for whatever reason you slip up, don’t give up. Every day is a new opportunity to reset and recommit.

Also, achieving resolutions can be a marathon and not a sprint, so just take it day by day, and every day, do the best that you can to build on what you have done.

 

 

Image:  Engin Akyur (Pexels)