By Raylee Foster | Staff Writer
We are living in an era of self-improvement, and I know from experience how daunting that task can be. Diets, exercise routines and 10-step habit-building guides all seem to flood the media just as the new year is approaching. For me, the excitement of a big goal can cause me to feel overwhelmed and burnout on my resolution.
“New year, new me” is how people all around the world enter the month of January; however, this mentality of a new self can be defeating.
New Year’s resolutions are hardest to keep when they are unrealistic, but there are ways to adjust the changes you’re planning so these resolutions stay with you throughout the year.
Not all resolutions are too much to take on. Instead of setting long-term goals, focus on the short-term steps required to get there.
“I will lose 12 pounds” becomes “I will lose a pound a month.”
Sticking with a goal is also significantly easier when it is something I can keep track of. When you aren’t able to unitize what you are working towards, you won’t be able to appreciate how far you’ve come or plan for how much work still needs to be put into obtaining the resolution.
Tracking progress with regularly-scheduled check-in’s helps to identify where you are on your resolution journey and turn a new practice into a habit. When people feel lost, getting off path becomes the natural response.
Making a New Year’s resolution is a common practice and as a result it is normally something shared with friends, family and co-workers after New Year’s Eve. There is a difference between conversing about a resolution and asking someone to hold you accountable.
With these steps in mind, consider building your New Year’s resolution as a yearlong process and not a one-time goal. Choose a resolution you are motivated to complete to avoid feeling burnt out, make it designed to be something trackable and make sure there are people around you who will hold you accountable.
My New Year’s resolution is to read the Bible, chronologically, in a year. I have a daily reading plan so I can track my progress. I focus each day on the few chapters I will read and I have friends who I have asked to make sure I am keeping up to schedule.
All of these things make the process of reaching a large goal much simpler, and make each step of the way far more rewarding. We all long for improvement and growth, so why not do it the easy way?
