The year is ending, and the dawn of a new, exciting and promising year is upon us. This is the time when many people set goals for the New Year, in the form of New Year's resolutions, aspiring to make changes that will bring them a little closer to their ideal selves or better their lives in various ways. Sadly, studies show that 80% of New Year's resolutions fail out of the 188.9 million American adults who create resolutions every year.
If you don't want to be part of that statistic, here are seven quick tips to help you keep your New Year's Resolutions for 2022.
1. Be Realistic
Making your goals unattainable is the easiest way to fail at your New Year’s resolution. For example, telling yourself you’re going to get up every morning at 5am and run 5 miles daily, when you've never run a mile in your life (much less 5) - is unrealistic. A more realistic New Year's resolution would be to resolve to awaken half hour earlier than you normally do, and and spend 10-15 minutes on the treadmill.
2. Reward Yourself
Pat yourself on the back and celebrate small successes. Appreciate the value of each small success. This will keep you motivated, give you a sense of accomplishment and further encourage you to continue the new behavior.
3. Don't Have Too Many Goals
The more goals you have the harder it will be to achieve them all or if any of them. Focus on 1 to 3 goals (max) or better yet just pick the one goal that is the most important to you and give yourself the best chance to stick to it by focusing on and executing that one resolution.
4. Outline Your Plan & Plan Ahead
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. That saying is common and cliche, but it rings true. Outline a workable, realistic plan to create an achievable roadmap or checklist of things to do and steps to take to achieve your goal.
And plan ahead so you can prepare to take the necessary steps that the outline requires. For example, if improving your diet is one of your resolutions, then buying fresh healthy food to replace what you might currently have in your pantry will be a necessary first step.
5. Talk About Your New Year’s Resolution To Other People
Almost 200 million Americans have a New Year’s resolution. So you’re not alone. Share your goals with other positive people who are close to you, whio can provide support, encouragement and the feeling of knowing you are not alone, and they are rooting for you. With a support system and the psychological boost that it provides, you will have a far better chance of finding success and achieving your new goals..
6. Stick To The Goal For 21 Days
It takes weeks to form a new habit. Sure, it will be challenging to maintain your goals in the first two weeks of next year. However, if you set yourself a target of keeping your New Year’s resolution until January 21st, you have an excellent chance of forming a new life-changing habit well into next year.
7. Learn From Your Mistakes
Mistakes are part of forming a new habit, but one mistake doesn’t mean you’re doomed to fail. When you make a mistake - such as skipping your gym routine for a day - it doesn’t mean you’ve failed in your New Year's resolution. Just go back to the gym the following day, as if you never missed. Don't stop and get discouraged, don’t quit, and stay positive.
Final Thoughts
It’s never easy to stick to a New Year’s resolution. You’ll encounter struggles, self-doubt, and failure along the way. That's ok, the journey is not perfect. Commit to making 2022 the year where you achieve your most pressing resolutions, whether it is to get in shape, go back to school, or stop renting and become a homeowner. You can do it and we are with you :)
