How to Stick to Your New Year's Resolutions

New year, new me. Whether or not you take this phrase seriously, New Year’s resolutions are a great opportunity to start making positive changes in your life. Although a fresh start can happen at any point, there’s something exciting about leaving behind a year that may or may not have been the best and feeling like you can start over on January 1st. The problem with resolutions, if you’re like me, is that it can be a tad difficult maintaining our goals. We allow ourselves a cheat day or we slack off and before we know it, we’ve retracted to our old ways. So, this year I want to help you stick to it. Here are a few ways I try to remember the goals I’ve made for myself:

1, Write them down.

It’s one thing to say what you want to change, it’s another to actually follow through. I’ve found jotting down a list and posting it somewhere keeps me a tad more responsible for keeping my word. But don’t just write down a word a phrase, be specific! The more detail you provide the better idea you’ll have of what your goal actually is and it will be easier for you to achieve it. Plus, I’ve learned posting it online gives you more of an incentive to prove you can do whatever it is you set out to change or do more of.

2. ​Get an accountability partner.

Sometimes we need someone to check in on us, remind us of why we started, and where we’ll end up if we stick it out. Find a friend and team up this New Year’s! An accountability partner is a great way to keep yourself in check. We all need a little help sometimes and this way you can both make sure the other doesn’t slack off.

3.  Flexability is a must.

Things rarely, if ever, go as planned. I can’t tell you how often things have gone wrong, but ended up even better than I could have imagined. Don’t let a bump in the road discourage you! Learn to adapt to change and discomfort. Learn to embrace the unexpected. In the end, things happen when and how they should, so be patient.

4. ​Be realistic.

Resolutions are an opportunity to change or improve for the better. They’re supposed to be challenging, but not impossible. With that being said, be realistic. Don’t overextend yourself. If you want to succeed, you have to know your limits as well as your abilities. Be a dreamer, but take small steps. Good things take time.

5. ​Satisfaction guarenteed.

One of my absolute favorite feelings is fulfilling a goal. The satisfaction of knowing you pushed through the lazy temptations is incentive enough to stay focused. Nothing beats knowing you set a goal and actually achieved it, despite the struggles you may have faced. You did it!