4 Steps to Improve & Achieve your New Year's Resolution

As the holiday's are ending, 2018 is left with just a few more days. With the New Year right around the corner, as many as 40-50% of people are going to decide on something they hope to achieve in the upcoming year, a tradition known as a New Year's Resolution. Lose weight, travel, be more positive, save money, etc. are all among common resolutions, and for good reason: for many people, achieving these goals would improve their lives.

However, a quick search on New Year's Resolution statistics shows that anywhere from 1 out of 3 to a whopping 92% don't work out, despite a majority of people being confident of their success at the start of the year. So how can you increase your chances of success? While aiming to lose weight, travel more, and/or save money are great ideas, they lack structure and are not very measurable. Try following these 4 tips to set yourself up for success:

1) Set a clear and specific goal
Ask yourself what you really want to achieve this year, but be specific. Instead of "I want to lose weight" say "I want to lose 30 pounds" The more details you give yourself, the more you really know and commit to your goal.

2) Motivate yourself with a reason
Okay, you know you want to lose 30 pounds. But if you don't really think about why, you might lose motivation. Maybe you are planning a cruise for next Christmas and want to wear that bathing suit you've been too self-conscious to wear. Or maybe you just want to feel physically healthier, and get your doctor off your back. Whatever your reason, make sure you know it, and use it to motivate you.

3) Break it down into measurable chunks
Committing to a big, year-long task is difficult. If you look at it this way, it will feel like one big success or one big failure. Try to break into down into pieces, and set smaller goals along the way. In the lose weight example, you already know you want to lose 30 pounds. Instead of giving yourself until December 31 to lose all 30, give yourself until March 1st to lose 5. Then until May 1st to lose another 5. July 1st, September 1st, and so on. That would mean every 2 months, or 1/6 of the year, you should have completed 1/6 of your goal. Losing 5 pounds is a lot more manageable than 30. And setting more deadlines keeps you better on track.

4) Plan how you will achieve it
No goal is complete without an action plan. You know what, why, and by when already. In this example, ask yourself questions about both your physical activity and your eating habits. Do you have a park with a nice walking trail nearby? A gym membership? A staircase to do step-ups on? How often will you walk the walking trail? How long will you do step-ups for each day? What is your daily step goal? How many calories are you currently eating daily (use an app to track your daily intake for a week or so, and get the average)? How many calories will you stay under? Will you let yourself have a junk food snacks? If so, how many calories will it be and how often? Will you cut down on fast food? What healthy recipes will you cook instead?
The more questions you ask yourself and answer, the better prepared you are. Now you know not only what you will achieve, but how you will get there.

Bonus tip: Share your resolution
The more people who know about your resolution, the more you have committed to it. You don't have to share with your friends and family. You could share it online, and share your progress. Or you could even just start a journal with your plan and steps you will take to get there. Even if no one else knows about your goal, by writing it down, you solidify it to yourself.

I will also be writing another guide to goals soon, about using the phases of the moon to make and set goals. It will also include some other things you can use to help you with goals, in a more spiritual way, such as crystals, so be sure to follow if you are interested in that.

I hope this guide has helped you, and I am interested in seeing what you hope to achieve in the New Year, so please leave your resolution as a comment. May the New Year bring you success,
Megan