Helpful Tips to Ensure Your New Year's Resolutions Stick

Do you have a New Year’s Resolution list that’s as long as your shopping list? If so, trying to stick to these can be daunting. However, if you want to make it past that post-holiday slump that comes about mid-March when you realize you haven’t kept any of these goals, you have to start planning now.

Remember, a New Year doesn’t mean it’s time to reinvent yourself completely. Instead, reflect on behavior from the past year and make the decision to do better and make choices that will improve your life. By making realistic resolutions, it’s much more likely you will stick with them throughout the year.

When it comes to resolutions, there are many people who want to “go big or go home.” Unfortunately, this is the fastest way to fail. You need to create resolutions you can keep.

For example, if your goal is to fix bad credit, make a commitment to yourself you’ll brown-bag your lunch, rather than buying every day. This is a great way to start saving money and rebuilding your credit, without being such an overwhelming goal that you have no idea how to reach it.

Another example would be if you want to lose weight. Rather than just stating you are going on a diet, make the commitment to swap your typical dessert of ice cream for something healthier that you enjoy, such as yogurt or fruit. If you do this, you won’t view the diet as a punishment, which means you are much more likely to stick with it.

As time passes, it’s only natural to pick up one or two (or ten) bad or unhealthy behaviors. Now is the time to figure out how you can replace these unhealthy behaviors with ones that are healthy. Keep in mind though, this is a process that takes time.

Don’t let yourself to become overwhelmed and believe you have to change everything at once. It’s better if you change one thing at a time.

It’s a good idea to share your goals and experiences with your friends and family members. You may want to join a support group to help you achieve your goals, such as a gym or get together with a few co-workers who want to stop smoking.

When you have someone you can share your struggles and your successes with, your path to a healthier and happier life will be much easier and much less intimidating.

Remember, when you accept help from people who care about you and who listen to your problems and concerns, you will find the ability to persevere and make it through any stress that could be caused by a resolution you made.

If you begin to feel overwhelmed or you don’t think you can stick to the resolution you have set, get professional help. Believe or not, seeking therapy is a great way to help you understand why a particular resolution is so difficult to stick to.

While the slogan “New Year, New You,” is catchy, there’s nothing wrong with the old you. While it’s always great if you want to improve some aspect of your life or yourself, you don’t have to completely reinvent yourself to be a better, happier, or healthier person.

Keep this in mind when you are creating this year’s list of New Year’s resolutions. Also, make sure to use the tips here to ensure this list and goals you have set don’t get so overwhelming that you can’t stick to them. By this, you will find yourself on the path to success.