How to Make New Year's Resolutions.

And make them come to fruition.

I used to be a resolutioner.

I would party hard and do whatever I wanted all month of December. Then, once the New Year rolled in, I would tell myself, 'This is finally the time you'll get X done.'

The real problem was that I wanted massive results with mediocre effort.

The truth was I didn't want to change my mindset or didn't know how to start.

That's why I want to share with you some vital lessons and steps I've learned that are crucial for setting any goal, not just New Year's resolutions.

It's about transforming yourself and your life.

And setting realistic and proper expectations.

It's not about completing a chore. It's about changing your habits, which will take time and effort.

Changing your habits will transform you, your thoughts, and your actions over time.

As a teenager, I remember one of my resolutions was always to lose weight.

I would start going to the gym consistently in January, but after three or four weeks, I would fall off the consistency bandwagon.

Looking back, I realized I was doing these hard-core, one or two-hour-long gym sessions, expecting to lose about 10 lbs in that time (four weeks) and, by some miracle, sustain the weight loss without going back to the gym as often.

I set myself up for failure.

I didn't know, nor wanted to learn, what a realistic time frame for losing 10 pounds was.

I also didn't want to examine the other areas of my life that required changing, so once I lost the 10 lbs, I wouldn't need to worry about gaining them back.

It wasn't until I got sick (mentally and physically) that I finally committed to not just losing weight but changing the habits that were not supportive of a healthy lifestyle.

The key here is wanting to transform yourself and your life.

And it's realizing it won't happen overnight.

When you start seeing your resolutions as a goal to transform instead of this chore you need to do, you will have a much easier time changing your habits and sticking to them.

When you do both, you are well on your way to accomplishing your resolutions.

Make small goals and break them down into steps.

When I set resolutions, I didn't bother to write them down or break them down into actionable steps.

I would say it out loud — 'I want to lose 10 lbs.' And that was it.

I didn't set up any plan or write it on a calendar to hold myself accountable.

But now I know better.

The first step you can take is to write your big goal at the top of any page.

I will give you an example of one of the financial goals I accomplished this year.

I wanted to save 20k in an emergency fund.

That's a good chunk of change, so I knew it would take some time to accomplish it, but since I knew what it would require, making a plan to reach that goal was simple.

I broke my goal of saving 20k into reasonable monthly goals.

I made a plan to track all of my finances. I mean ALL of them.

I accounted for every dollar that entered my bank account/wallet and left it (I still do it).

At the end of the month, I reviewed all my expenses and income, and any money left over went straight to my savings account.

After a few months, I learned that, on average, I kept around $500 to $1,000 of my income at the end of the month.

Knowing this average allowed me to set a realistic timeline for when I would reach my goal.

The rest was simple — keep tracking my money and following my budget. Eventually, I saved 20k.

This took over a year to accomplish, but it got done.

Which is the point of setting goals and resolutions.

Focus not on when you want it done but on getting it done, period.

Once you break down your big goal into smaller, actionable steps, it's only a matter of time before you accomplish any of your goals.

Forget the all-or-nothing mentality.

It will kill your drive over time and wear you out emotionally and mentally.

I used to do this when I wanted to lose weight.

I thought I had to follow whatever new diet I hopped on perfectly to get the results I was looking for.

The problem is I'm human, I get cravings, and I want to enjoy life, events, and the food that comes with them.

I remember beating myself up mentally so severely when I didn't follow a diet exactly how I thought I should.

I didn't forgive myself and set even more ridiculous expectations, like eating 'clean' for two weeks straight.

That led to more failed attempts, and eventually, I gave up altogether because my anxiety around food became unbearable.

I went on the journey to fix my mindset around food, and eventually (seven years later), I was no longer afraid of going near a plate of cookies because I thought I would end up eating the whole thing.

Don't be like me and expect perfection.

This is just setting yourself up for failure and making the journey of accomplishing your goals way more arduous and longer than it needs to be.

Learn to forgive yourself when you fall off the wagon.

Allow yourself some room for error so you can still enjoy what you love (like food).

I allow myself a sweet treat almost every day. This allows me not to go overboard with sweets, baked goods, junk food, etc. when I’m at a party or an event.

I understand and accept that I'm human and that part of being human is enjoying food.

But I also understand and accept that my health is most important. That's why I make an effort to eat healthy meals comprised of primarily whole foods 80 to 90 percent of the time.

(If any of you would like me to expand on what I eat and cook that allows me to stick to my healthy lifestyle, let me know in the comments).

I hope these lessons I learned the hard way can help you set yourself up for success this coming 2024.

I would love to hear what other lessons you've learned about setting goals and following through with New Year's resolutions in the comments.

Have a wonderful and prosperous New Year!