How are your resolutions going so far? It’s only two weeks into January and I’m already hearing people verbally beating themselves up because they haven’t stuck with the changes they wanted to make for 2019.
If you’re one of the masses struggling to self-motivate your evolution, if you find yourself falling back into your old habits or giving up your resolution too quickly, here are some reasons why you may not be succeeding:
You don’t have the time.
You didn’t make a plan.
You forgot why you wanted to do it in the first place.
Sound like you? You’re not alone. It turns out, about 45% of us make resolutions but only 8% succeed. But hey, don’t beat yourself up. It is, after all, only two weeks into 2019. You still have 50 whole weeks to steer your goals in the right direction. Here are some tips to help you get back on track from M.J. Ryan’s incredibly helpful book, This Year I Will…
Write it down! You are 42% more likely to accomplish your goal just by writing it down. - Easy enough; I like that!
Make it realistic. - Weight loss example: if your goal is to lose 40 lbs this month, then you are setting yourself up for failure. Instead, think of an amount that is truly doable for you. In the past for me, losing 8 lbs in a month was manageable.
“You have to really want it.” - Sure, you want “x”, but have you really thought it out? How far are you willing to go for your goal? Is it something you really want to do? A few years ago, I got it into my head that I was going to climb Kilimanjaro. When I started doing research to make a plan, I realized the journey was going to take more of me than I was ready to invest. Unwilling to make the necessary sacrifices, I took “climb Kilimanjaro” off my yearly bucket list, and made room for new dreams.
“Make a back up plan, not excuses.” Back to my weight loss example - when I was first struggling with my goal, my excuse for not working out was, “I’m just too tired after work to workout.” Instead of giving up, I solved the problem: if I am too tired to get my cardio on after work, I’ll have to do it before I work. I really wanted to lose the weight, so I started going to bed earlier and sacrificed sleeping in to achieve my goal. (Bonus, the morning workout really energized my day instead of sucking the energy out of it!)
Have an accountability partner. I always find it easier to make it to dance or yoga class when I know a friend is meeting me there. Separately, I was able to keep up with a 30-day Arbonne cleanse because my consultant, Kim, was there for me when I needed help. Having an accountability partner breeds solidarity, support, and success.
I hope you find these tips helpful, and I highly encourage you to buy the book! M.J. Ryan goes into great detail about how to make real changes in your life, no matter what you are trying to achieve.
Make 2019 your best year ever!
Don’t give up; YOU GOT THIS!