How To Set an Attainable New Years Resolution

Each time the clock strikes 12 am on January 1st, we begin to feel like we are getting a fresh start or a new beginning! This is where resolutions come into play! How many times have you set a resolution, only to give up before reaching your goal? If you’re like us, you start out strong, keeping to your goals, but slowly fizzle out. There are many reasons why resolutions are not followed through. Today on the blog we’re discussing how to set attainable and healthy resolutions for 2022! 

There are so many reasons why resolutions aren’t kept, but let’s focus on how to set and keep your resolution! Here are some tips to follow to help you be successful in the new year! 

CHOOSE A SPECIFIC GOAL

Don’t be unclear about setting your goal! Make a concrete and achievable goal that can help you plan exactly how you can achieve and stick to your goal! Use the acronym SMART to set your goal: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound. 

Specific: Make your goal specific and concrete. You’re more likely to stick to your goal if you’re more specific than if you set a more ambiguous goal. Be realistic, not drastic. Keeping your goal specific will make you more effective and easier to plan and accomplish your goal! 

Measurable: No matter what your goal may be, make sure you find a way to measure your progress so you can reinforce your progress. 

Achievable: You don’t have to make huge goals, sometimes making goals unattainable sets you up for failure. Be realistic with yourself, stretch yourself, but not so much that you can’t be successful! 

Relevant: Ask yourself if you are making this goal for the right reasons. If you're setting a goal out of self loathing, self hate, or a strong emotion at that moment, it won’t last long.

Time-Bound: Set a timeline to reach your goal. Give yourself enough time to achieve your goal, and set small goals along the way. 

LIMIT YOUR RESOLUTIONS

Taking on too much at one time can be overwhelming and daunting! While you may have a long list of goals, pick one to focus on and stick with it! Don’t spread yourself too thin by trying to work on too many goals at one time! Focusing on one specific goal can help you be much more successful. 

PUT TIME INTO PLANNING 

Don’t jump straight into your goal! Take time picking your resolution, do extensive planning around the essential parts of your goal, brainstorm how you can tackle the goal, what steps will you need to take, and how you can keep track of your progress.  Working towards a goal without a plan can become difficult, especially when you come across an obstacle. You’re more likely to stick with your goal if you have thought through your goal and have strategies setup to keep you working towards your goal! 

START WITH SMALL STEPS

Don’t take on too much too soon! Doing this can overwhelm you and cause you to give up on your resolution right away. Don’t try to make radical changes immediately, focus on taking small steps that will lead you to ultimately meeting your overall goal! Take it slow and make small changes, this will increase the likelihood of reaching your goal and being successful!

AVOID REPEATING PAST FAILURES

A good strategy to keep in mind is to stop making the same resolution year after year. If you’ve tried and failed over and over, your self-belief will be low and you’ll be less likely to be successful. However, if you do want to go for a goal you’ve tried before, take some extra time evaluating past experiences. Think about what strategies worked, what was more effective, what things prevented you from being successful? If you need to alter your goal to make it more likely to be successful, do it! Changing your approach can make all the difference in helping you achieve your goal!

REMEMBER CHANGE IS A PROCESS

Be patient with yourself! Understand that behaviors or habits you’re working to change have likely been developed over time, so it will also take time to change. Missteps or restarts on goals are normal and not failures, stay on your journey! Goals can take longer than you like but it's not a race! Stay committed and stay the course! You can do it!

GET SUPPORT

Get support! If you’ve heard this before, it's because having support works! Having a support system can help you stay motivated! Clue your family and friends in on your goal! Have them help! Having a group to lean on will help sticking to your goal more fun!

RENEW YOUR MOTIVATION

It’s easy to stay motivated when you first start out, but as time goes on you may begin to lose steam. Once reality hits, your motivation may start to dwindle, this is normal! When these moments happen, remind yourself why you are working towards this goal. Write a list of why you’re working towards this goal in the beginning, then keep it close for these moments. 

LEARN AND ADAPT

Hitting setbacks is normal, and one of the biggest reasons people give up on resolutions. If you have a setback, don’t look at it as a failure. You’re going to encounter challenges, view these challenges as learning opportunities. Evaluate your setback, write important information down, why did the setback occur, what triggered it, and what can you do differently to avoid it happening again? Try to understand your challenges so you are better prepared if it happens in the future. 

Making and starting resolutions doesn’t have to feel like an annual failure! Many times the difference between being successful and unsuccessful is choosing the right goal for you and the way in which you go about achieving it! Set yourself up for success! Be kind and flexible with yourself and celebrate progress along the way! You can do it! We here at Ayla and Co. believe in you!