Sticking To Your New Year Resolutions  

As we near the end of the year, it’s natural to reflect on the past, evaluate how you performed and think about how you can improve in the future. By introspecting the past 12 months you can assess what you missed out on and develop resolutions to achieve them in the year ahead.

Sadly, New Year Resolutions are often ridiculed because the excitement to achieve your goals dwindles with each month. People typically hang on to them for 1-3 months, after which they dissipate in the air, and everything gets back to square one.

Sticking to your resolutions and achieving your goals requires resolute motivation from day one till the end of the year. In this piece, I list some practical tips to help you stick to your resolutions in the coming year.

List concrete goals

Instead of setting vague or unrealistic resolutions like ‘getting in shape’ or ‘losing weight’, it’s best to be specific by assigning numbers and a timeline. For instance, ‘losing 10 kgs in 3 months’ and ‘running for 40 minutes each day’ are more concrete and realistic statements to achieve.

Keep goals in front of your eyes

Writing and wall-postering your resolutions will keep them in front of your eyes and on top of your mind. Being able to see them every time you wake up, either on the wall or on your device screen, will fuel your motivation to achieve them each day.

Break down goals

Losing 10 kgs in 3 months may seem hard on your body and mind. Instead, breaking it down into smaller goals like losing 3 kgs per month will make achieving it more manageable and help you come closer to your goal each passing month.

Get a support system

It’s fine to reveal your goals to your mentor, friend or well-wishers in your circle. By doing so, you build accountability on your part to report the progress you’ve made each time you interact with this person.

Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good

Lastly, aiming for perfection can put a lot of stress on your mind and make you quit halfway. Instead of striving for perfect results, settling for goodwill keep your momentum and energy on. Also if circumstances change, be flexible in amending the ways or means to achieve your goals.

I hope my article gives you the courage to not only set audacious resolutions for 2024 but also stick to them through thick and thin throughout the year.

Alvina Clara, Content Writer, emQube