How to make New Year's resolutions stick

Keeping to your New Year's resolutions is only possible with a strategy. Like goals, resolutions become more attainable if you can streamline your goal-setting process. To achieve your resolutions, you need a path and a plan.

How to help you succeed in your New Years' resolutions

1. Committing to making a change

Change takes work. Have you committed to a mindset ready to make a lasting change? Building a new habit can take months, but many resolutions don't last past January. You need to decide that you will change and succeed and commit to your plan.

2. Write down your goal

Don't create a resolution to change behaviour; create it as a goal, not on your phone or computer but on a real piece of paper. Buy yourself a journal. It will help you to work on your goal. By having it written down in front of you, you can hone your goal and break it down into smaller sub-goals creating a path to success. It will also make your goal easier to remember.

3. Know your 'why'

Understanding the'why' of your resolution will reveal your purpose, helping you to achieve it even when things get tough. Understanding the 'why' will lead you to a more profound journey and maybe even a different, deeper resolution. Your path might be many incremental changes that lead to an even bigger goal. Also, understanding your 'why' may unlock an insight leading to an even more significant result. One small insight leads to massive changes.

4. A mindset of belief

From day one of your journey, you must not doubt that you will succeed. You might not start with the 'how' or a plan, but you must have the will. The self-belief that you will succeed will help you create the dedication you need. Everything starts with a first step, but the second step requires belief and the mindset to be a success. Each step on the journey creates more and more confidence and strengthens your mindset to succeed.

5. Measure your progress

Make your resolution specific; it's all in the small print. When you are aiming big, break the goal down into SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and within a Time frame) goals. Set a reasonable timeline and a way to measure your success as you progress.

6. Stay on target

Often the obstacle is the way. To achieve something worthwhile, you have to go through some pain. Part of the goal is what you learn about yourself on the journey to achieving your goal. Have you developed perseverance? Are you disciplined? When it gets tough, think of the progress you are throwing away and what you will gain if you stay on target.

7. Celebrate your successes on the journey

By breaking your resolution into smaller goals, you can celebrate your successes. This way, every step becomes enjoyable, your wins will start to snowball, and your journey will become easier. Your achievements will build into a cycle of success. Small steps don't need to be perfect; they just need to show progress.
 
Real change and positive outcomes come from knowing what outcome you want and committing to making it a reality through achievable goals no matter what time of year.