The Easy Way I’m Sticking To My New Year’s Resolutions – And You Can Too
It’s not too late to make this the best year ever
Every year I fail at my resolutions. This year, I did things a bit differently and so far – it’s working! The good news is if you’ve fallen off the wagon resolution-wise or even if you didn’t make any, it’s not too late.
There is nothing magical about January 1st. Today could be the first day of your year, from a resolution perspective. And if you’ve strayed from the path of righteousness, no worries! Forgive yourself, reset and pick back up again. The secret? Remember that it’s a journey.
Step One – Actions Not Goals
Make your resolutions specific, but not too specific. Previously my resolutions have been pretty vague. Get fitter. Lose weight. Succeed at work. I’ll parrot them off to everyone on New Year’s Day, have a few days of trying to be good then something will come up (injury, social event, any old excuse really!) and I’ll stop. I might remember about them a few weeks down the line and think “damn, failed again, oh well…better luck next year”.
This year I didn’t tell anyone what my resolutions were. I wrote them down on my phone. I didn’t define them in terms of the end goal but in terms of the action. So: write every day; exercise each day; focus on myself; alcohol only on occasions; widen my social circle. Notice that these are specific actions but that they leave out the ‘how’. Which takes us to our next point…
Step Two – Baby Steps Move You Forward
I wouldn’t exactly describe myself as a couch potato but I’m certainly not very fit. I walk the dog and occasionally do a bit of yoga. But I didn’t see that translate into any improvement in my fitness or body shape.
Clearly then I needed to exercise more regularly and perhaps differently. This did not entail joining a gym – I have been a charitable donor to gyms many times before without actually attending.
Luckily there’s YouTube. Whatever floats your fitness boat there is someone out there on YouTube who will guide you through it and be your companion. But you need to find someone who will meet you where you are and make you feel good about making small improvements.
If you’ve tried to get fit by following along with some ripped guy or gorgeous gym bunny whose sets are pitched way above your ability, or even if you’ve tried working out with a personal trainer at the gym who just makes you feel how unfit you are, you’ll know how demoralizing that is and how you just give up.
There are plenty of YouTubers out there with 10-minute beginner workouts to keep you moving on a daily basis – and that keeps you motivated! After a while, you can string a few together or move up to the next level. No pressure — it’s all about learning and habit.
Same approach with writing. I knew I needed to write but I never got round to it. By writing something – anything – on a daily basis I’m developing habits that are moving me along in my writing journey. I hadn’t for one moment considered publishing anything online on January 1st. I just started with a few end of day diary notes on my phone.
Now by March, I’ve published several articles on Medium, and people have commented, clapped, and followed me. How cool is that! I’m not earning any money but that wasn’t even a consideration for me. My action was just to write every day and just that one action is taking me to places I never expected. Tiny changes done regularly yield great rewards.
Step Three – Check-in And Readjust
So this article is basically my quarterly review of how I’m doing. What are my expectations of myself? Well, I’m only human so I’ve not perfected all of my resolutions. Am I focusing more on myself and spending less time worrying about others? Yes – mostly.
Alcohol only for occasions? Well … Saturday is an occasion, right? I did do dry January plus I had COVID for a couple of weeks so that was a good 6 weeks with no alcohol but I’m noticing wine creeping into my dinner plans again so this little check-in is a great reminder to stay focused on that action, save it for occasions.
Widening the social circle – well I’ve made a bit of progress, not as much as I’d like but I’ve done really well on other resolutions so I’m not going to beat myself up, just keep the action top of mind and continue with the baby steps on that too.
Step Four – Pat Yourself On The Back
Look, we are living through tough times people. If some progress, any progress, is being made then you’re doing great. Celebrate that.
Positive reinforcement is so much more motivating than beating yourself up for not being perfect. If you have made no progress, think of this check-in as a little reset. It’s ok – you get a do-over! You are amazing. Remember that.
To recap:
- Set actions, not goals
- Take baby steps
- Check in with yourself regularly
- Pat yourself on the back
How are you doing with your resolutions? Any other tips? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
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