Why Resolutions Don’t Work.

As February is slipping into March its left me thinking about all the plans, goals and resolutions most of us made to ourselves last month. I seem to always flip flop on the idea of New Year’s resolutions, one year I’m all for them, thinking the new year is a wonderful fresh start. Then, the next year I think it is pointless and have the view that if you really wanted to change you just would. However, this year I have fallen somewhere in the middle. I did make the oh so common resolutions to eat better, be more active, make a proper budget, but also resolved about some other lifestyle changes. This year, I found a new way to think about keeping my resolutions and staying on path and its something I want to share with you all.

What has been the big kicker for me was to adjust my thoughts on what a resolution is. So often we think resolutions as a list which is extremely vague and not at all tailored to you as an individual. For instance, get healthy. Whats your idea of health? Is it going for a run? Joining a gym? Eating less sweets? This is a prime example of why resolutions don’t work, someone who has not stepped foot in a gym in years and leads a generally unhealthy diet can not expect for Jan 1st to come and suddenly become a health conscious gym addict. There are a few people who manage to make this work, those who are highly determined and carry great self-discipline. I however am not one of those people, and I don’t know many people that this has worked for.

Leading up to New Years when resolution become the main topic of discussion, I decide to take it on differently than I have ever done before. Instead of thinking of a list I decided to think of it as a plan on how my year would unfold. Where I intended to be in my life by next December and what path I wanted to be on. I decided to call it my 2015 story!

When creating my story I wanted it to be completely tailored to me and realistic to the person I am. I sat down with a notebook and wrote out what my goals for my life were. Where I see myself in the future. The type of people I want to share my life with, both romantically and in a friendship sense. Places I wanted to visit and the stories I wanted to be able to share. The secret to being successful with this is to be completely honest. This means admitting to bad relationships, questionable lifestyle choices and being honest about your dreams. Believe me, absolutely nothing is unattainable, there is nothing that you can’t create for yourself. We truly are holding the wheel when it comes to our life. So if your dream is to be a famous actress include it in your story!! Do it, I dare you!

Once you have a clear idea of your goals and are completely satisfied with your story the real work starts. Research and figure out the steps you need to take to get you to your future self. Do you need to take a class or need a special certificate? Check prices for gym memberships or yoga studios. Think about the conversations you need to have with people to feel peace in your life, plan the conversation out, write it down if you need to. Once you finish this create your resolutions by making steps to get you in the right direction. Make a yearly plan and have a check-in every few months to make sure you are on course. This is something you can do any time of year and its doesn’t have to wait till Jan 1st. Lastly don’t get discouraged!! So you might have fallen off track a little and slipped back into your old ways, its okay. Maybe you need to adjust your goals or need to be more realistic of what you are capable of doing. The point is to do your best and be easy on yourself. Change is hard and forces you to push through layers of yourself in order to reveal something new. Change is growth, we should always aspire for growth.

As a bonus, here are 3 tips that keep me on track.

Share your story with an encouraging friend or loved one. Us humans seem to achieve more when we are held accountable by someone else. Ask them to check in with you and make sure you’re following through on your goals.

Get organised. Buy a calendar and mark any important dates or milestones. Start making to-do lists, make sure to check off when you have completed something. There is something so satisfying when you accomplish an item on your list.

Post your story or goals on the back of your door. If it’s not something you want all your company seeing post it on your bedroom door. Having this little reminder every time you leave the house is so inspiring. It keeps me focused and makes me aware of what i’m out to achieve.

Best of luck.