The past few years, I’ve gotten discouraged seeing all of the articles that say, “New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work,” or “Don’t Waste Your Time Setting Goals for the Year Ahead Because You Won’t Do Them and It Will Just Make You Feel Bad about Yourself.”
Gah!
It’s so negative.
And I don’t like negative (I even have a hard time calling out something as being negative, because I don’t want to join in the ick in any way).
I am a believer that you have to do what works best for you, along with taking advantage of every opportunity to make positive steps in your life- whenever or wherever those notions strike you.
So if you’ve had a bit of the New Year’s buzz this year, or maybe you were excited a few days ago, and now you fear that you’ve fallen off the path of making this year your best yet, I’ve got some tips for you to help make this your year to look back on with pride.
We’re going to keep this simple. But don’t let simple distract you from trying them. Simple doesn’t mean that you’re behind others. Simple doesn’t mean that it won’t work. Simple just makes it more likely for you to carry out.
And that’s a good thing!
- Don’t list everything. When you list everything that you would like to do in your life as a goal for the year, it can get overwhelming pretty quickly. There’s a difference between a bucket list and your goals for the year.
- Skip the things you keep carrying over from year to year. There’s a reason it hasn’t happened yet. It may not be where your heart is. Set your sights on the things you want to do, not the things you feel like you should do. Oh, and don’t beat yourself up over skipping those things, either. Just leave it behind.
- Make sure there’s something fun. You’ve heard me say it before, but “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” If everything on your list centers around work or school or finances, it can make it more likely for you to rebel against the list entirely.
- Be specific. When you set a broad goal, like “be healthier,” it’s hard to know if you met your goal. If you break it down into, “Walk 20 minutes a day, three times a week,” or “Lose 5 pounds by spring,” or “Lower cholesterol by 15 points,” you have something much more concrete to work towards- and to know that you’ve been successful. It also makes it easier to make choices every day that bring you closer to that goal when it’s more specific.
- Mark off time to work on your goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream. Setting out to do something, and not knowing when you’ll actually do it makes it harder. If your goal is to have a cleaner car this year, then what days will you clean it out? Go on and write that down in your phone or on a calendar, and set up automatic reminders to help keep you accountable.
Even if goals and resolutions haven’t work well for you in the past, positive changes in your life have to start somewhere. And somewhere might as well be now, right?
And if you’re not quite sure where to start, then click here to get a printable download and I will walk you through that process.