Every time the beginning of a New Year comes around people make New Year’s resolutions to begin doing things they should already be doing (YEP, I’m guilty of this!). One of the mistakes I have made in past years is setting too many resolutions and this causes too much change for a person to handle all at once. I am going to do things a little differently this year by committing to ONE resolution which is to eat healthier. However, that resolution is too broad and I know I will break that resolution in a matter of a week (if that!). So instead of simply stating that I will eat healthier in 2016 my resolution is to have one green smoothie every day.
In 2014, I went four solid months of drinking a green smoothie every…single…day but then I stopped. And why? Because I grew tired and bored of the same 2-3 recipes I was rotating. But a few weeks I found out of Simple Green Smoothie (through a podcast) who put on a green smoothie challenge every quarter. I went to their website and have been hooked to their recipes and conveniently enough their first challenge begins January 1, 2016! To make a long story short I am confident that I have found a way to make my new year’s resolution stick in 2016 and I’ll share the process I used to plan for a successful resolution.
Make one resolution
Think of something you are constantly telling yourself you are going to do whether it be to make your bed every morning, do at least 20 minutes of exercise very day, drink more water or start meditating – it is important to pick the one that will make the biggest difference in your everyday life.
Focus on what you want
Similar to the above tip, in order to keep your resolution you have to really think about what it important to you right now at this point in your life. Don’t simply pick a trendy resolution because everyone else is - because you and I both know that that resolution will be broken within the first 48 hours.
Keep your goal manageable
Once you decide on a resolution that is meaningful for you it is key that you to plan out how you will incorporate this into your everyday life. For example, say your goal is to read more you now need to make this manageable and to do this you can break it down to reading one book each month. But you have to get even more specific than that so the next step could be to plan on reading 20-30 minutes every day. See how I did that?!
Pros and cons list
Make a list of the pros and cons of sticking and succeeding to your new year’s resolution. Keep this list handy all year – put it in your planner, on your fridge, keep it in your phone – whatever works best for you. Whenever you feel like skipping a day or if you feel like giving up whip this list out and read it out loud to yourself. I am sure this will light a fire under you again and keep you engaged with your goal.
Stay consistent
It takes 21 days to build a new habit, that’s it three weeks. In the grand scheme of things three weeks fly right by so stay consistent and give it your all for the first three weeks - I promise it will get easier from there on out. You will also feel an immense amount of satisfaction from which you will WANT to keep giving it your all.
Create a support team
No, you do not have to tell all of your friends about you resolution. In fact, I even recommend you do not tell all of your family and friends because chances are that you will find one or two naysayers and you do not need to invite any negativity. What I do recommend is that you pick one or two people in your life who have achieved a goal in the past – these people are more likely to keep you in a positive state of mind and keep you accountable.
Reward yourself
Set certain increments to reward yourself throughout the year whether it be once a month or once a quarter – you can go get a massage, a facial, a mani/pedi – anything that will leave you feeling good about yourself is the way to go.
Have you achieved a new year’s resolution in the past? If yes, how did you keep yourself accountable to it? Do share below!