New Year’s resolutions have the very best of intentions. They give us all an opportunity to start again and revitalize our mind, body and soul. But, as with so many plans in life, those resolutions often get pushed aside for more pressing matters. 

So, what can you do this year that is going to allow your New Year’s resolutions to stick? It’s simple: simplify them! Make your goals attainable on a day-by-day or week-by-week basis. Draw from the lessons you learned in 2020 to just live in the moment, for the moment is all we have.

Let’s get started:

Small goals

Think of a goal that is small enough to manage and yet you can see instant gratification from. If you had to work from home for the past year and just threw together a makeshift home office with your child’s play table, make that your first goal. Make your workspace at home enjoyable and comfortable. You don’t have to throw money at this problem. Start with a thrift store desk – it’s incredible what just a little elbow grease can do to turn someone else’s trash into your treasure. If one of your goals this year was to create your own work space, then there, you’ve got results in a couple of hours.

Measurable

Create a goal that is measurable and accountable. There are so many variants that disrupt plans and goals – finances, time, accessibility, etc. Whether your goal is limiting your Netflix binge time to two hours a day or walking 10,000 steps, make sure you’re measuring your progression. Another way to make sure you’re constantly moving towards your goal, is to tell a friend or family member about what you’re doing. Being accountable to someone else’s expectations is a fantastic motivator. For some reason we often rise to the occasion when it’s someone else’s expectations.

Relevant

When making and keeping your resolutions, as well as being measurable and specific, it has to be relevant to your circumstances. You need to ask yourself, is it worth the effort and what will you get if you succeed? Is achieving your goal going to make a difference in your life or the life of someone else’s? 

We have all made, broken, kept, celebrated and failed New Year’s resolutions. Creating goals that are incrementally or drastically achieved can change our lives for the better. Life will always get in the way of those goals but it is your job to dance with what the day throws at you. Oprah Winfrey says, “What I know for sure is; the big secret in life is that there is no secret. There is just you, this moment, and a choice.”  

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