If you’re like any of us, you’re probably guilty of making a New Year’s resolution and breaking it within the year. This 2022, it’s time to stop the cycle of resolving to make a change in your life only to not follow through with it.
The whole point of a resolution is to create a better life for yourself. Whether it’s eating healthier or taking better care of yourself, the point is, you’re going to have a much better year sticking to your resolution.
And here is exactly how to maintain your New Year’s Resolution in 2022.
Being realistic
A surefire way to fall short of your goals is by making it unrealistic. For example, if you’ve been eating fast food every day for the past 6 months and then making a resolution to never eat fast food again, chances are you’re going to be facing some pretty bad withdrawals given how your brain has been trained to want fast foods as a form of calorie intake. You’re essentially going cold turkey, which is just as hard as fighting an addiction.
Instead, strive for a goal that is attainable such as avoiding it more often than you do now. You can even make a plan by cutting your bad habits more and more as the year goes by, instead of doing it all in one shot.
Planning ahead
New Year’s Eve shouldn’t be the day you come up with your resolution. Waiting until the last minute means that your resolution will be based on how you feel on that day. Instead, your resolution should reflect how you’ve been feeling over many months and what you want to change about your life based on reflection.
Make an outline of your plan
Drawing a clear outline of your plan on making your resolution work for you will help you maintain it. Address issues like how you’re going to deal with temptations such as eating a box of chocolates or skipping the gym because you’re feeling lazy.
Some ideas can include calling a friend to keep you accountable, practicing positive thinking and self-talking, or simply reminding yourself how all of this bad behaviour will affect your ultimate goal.
Make a pros and cons list
Although this may seem silly to write out, especially given how many resolutions are private, writing out a pros and cons list will help you clearly identify your motivations behind your resolution. When you’re finding it hard to keep your resolution, go back to this list as a reminder to stay strong and keep on keeping on.
Talk about your resolution
The more you share your resolution, the more accountable you will feel to keep to it. Support from others such as friends, family, and even social followers will come in handy. Also giving them progress updates will help you keep track of going strong.
Rewarding yourself
When you work hard, you play hard. And this means rewarding yourself whenever you’ve done something good or achieved a milestone. Treating yourself will encourage you to work harder and better, as you acknowledge the hard work and effort you have gone through to get where you are today.
For a great celebration, head to the Grand View Hotel in Bowen and treat yourself to a delicious, healthy meal. The professional chefs that head the kitchen who curate the most mouthwatering dishes that include premium steaks grilled to perfection, fusion twists and Aussie classics.
Add in the waterfront views to an iconic atmosphere by the Whitsundays and you have yourself a winner. Make a booking by calling (07) 4786 4022 to secure your reservation.
Tracking progress
Aim to keep track of your progress including the small successes and your short term goals. Each small accomplishment will help you stay motivated, giving you more reason to stick with your New Year’s resolution.
If you’re looking to lose weight, focus on small steps such as losing 5 kilos first instead of 20 kilos. Keep a journal to help you stay on track and reward yourself for each 5 kilos lost.
Taking one day at a time
The point is to be the best you can be each day. There will be occasional slip ups that won’t help you achieve your goal. Don’t beat yourself up over them and keep moving forward.
Make it into a habit
Experts say that it takes around 21 days for a new activity to become a habit and 6 months for it to become a part of who you are. Your New Year’s resolution won’t happen overnight, which is why you have to be persistent and patient with you goals and efforts.
Don’t give up
You can run out of steam. You can start feeling like your old habits are kicking back in. You may lose your motivation.
But the point is, no matter how down you feel, don’t despair and give up entirely. Just start over.
Recommit yourself for 24 hours and work on your resolution again. With enough determination, you will be back on track before you know it.
