Make Resolutions Stick with 3 Simple Tips

make resolutions stick

Let’s take some time today to examine a few easy suggestions to help you keep your resolutions. We already know how easy it can be to set intentions without any real direction or follow through. These vague goals never seem to work out. However, there are some strategic steps you can take to help cement your goals in stone and make them a reality. In today’s post, I’ll cover three simple tips to make resolutions stick. You’ll see that it is possible to make lasting change with these actions.

Make Resolutions Stick: Be Specific & Make It a Reachable Goal

It’s true. Overly vague resolutions with nothing to back them up simply won’t do. An empty statement like, “I want to get healthy,” isn’t likely to last past the first week or two. Adding some specifics such as a timeframe, strategies, and accountability check-ins is a far better way to go about setting resolutions, whether it’s at the New Year, for your birthday, or simply on a Tuesday in May. Also, be sure not to bite off more than you can chew. Your goals must be relatively realistic if they’re to have any real chance of success.

Make Resolutions Stick: Find Your Motivation for the Change

Finding your “why” is something we haven’t touched on yet, but it’s an incredibly powerful and motivating concept. Your “why” is your reason for wanting to change. It’s the thing that will keep you reaching for that goal when things get hard or life gets busy and you want to give up. Wanting to get healthy so you can be the best mom for your children, have the energy to play games with them, and be in their lives longer is a strong motivation. Use that intense desire to keep you on track and accountable.

If you are leader or entrepreneur and want to explore your why for your business or organization n a deeper way, I highly recommend Simon Senek’s Start with Why.

If you want to explore your current priorities in your life, the book The Passion Test: The Effortless Path to Discovering Your Life Purpose by Janet Bray Attwood and Chris Attwood has a great exercise that helps you identify your current top 5 guiding passions. It’s great exercise to come back to every six months or so to check in with yourself on what is currently most important to you.

Make Resolutions Stick: Track Your Progress

Speaking of keeping on track, it’s also important that you keep track of your progress when you want to stick to your resolutions. Otherwise, how will you know if you’re making real strides or just going through the motions? If you want to lose weight, you’ll need to take regular measurements and record them. Want to save money? Keep a ledger or a spreadsheet listing the amounts you’ve socked away each week. It’s satisfying to see evidence of progress, even if it’s only a small amount. Little successes do wonders for your motivation.

These three tips may seem simple and maybe even a bit obvious, but it’s often the little things we tend to miss. Taking the time to implement these suggestions can make a big difference in the return you receive on your investment when it comes to sticking with your resolutions.

 

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