Realistic Resolutions for a New You

It’s already the end of the first month of 2018, and some of you may already have felt that all too familiar feeling of wanting to do away with that new (or re-used) resolution that you were fully committed to carrying out this year. Don’t despair! We all enter into the New Year hopeful and confident that we will reach that long awaited goal that has always felt out of reach, however large or small it may be. The momentum we carry into the New Year suddenly starts to shift as we sink further into winter, and it feels too cold to go anywhere or too dark outside to feel cheery. The bills keep coming, work still beckons and the house just never seems to be quite clean enough. Before long, we fall back into the rut we found ourselves in just a few weeks prior. How then do we break the negative cycle and keep the momentum for positive change going?

Too often, people try to do a massive overhaul of their lives with the mindset that big change leads to big results. While that can be true for some, it doesn’t necessarily work for all. The key to lasting change starts with setting small, achievable goals with measurable outcomes. For instance, your New Year’s resolution starts out as getting exercise 5 days a week for an hour each day. Then with various obligations and responsibilities anywhere from work, to caring for family, to attending school all as part of a “normal” week, your good intentions quickly head down the drain. Fear not! With a little revising, there is still a way to meet your goal for a healthier you in the New Year. Setting a smaller goal of starting with getting 30 minutes or exercise three days a week is much more feasible, even more so if those 30 minutes are then broken down into 3 10 minute segments. Suddenly, you have a goal that is more realistic with and fits with the demands of everyday life, and has a realistic way of being measured to track your consistency. The desire to stick with your goal is reignited, and no longer seems as daunting as it once had.

By taking our goals and tailoring them to our real lives, we can find ways to set realistic expectations that will unlock opportunities for experiencing success. The more success we feel, the more active we stay with working to achieve our goals. Try taking your own 2018 goals and tailoring them to the demands of your daily life. With practice and fine-tuning, you’ll discover a method that works for you to keep from breaking those resolutions once and for all.

Find your peace, and get back to being you.