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Get Real Resolutions

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Wouldn’t it be great if we could set New Year’s resolutions and actually stick to them? Just imagine if, by July, we were all rocking our resolutions! Although this might be true for some of you, the reality is, by February, most people have ditched their resolutions or their motivation has petered out. In fact, according to U.S. News & World Report, the failure rate for New Year's resolutions is about 80 percent. So just what can you do to ensure success for your resolutions? Read on!

Start small.

Excitement about your resolutions is great, but rein in your gung-ho attitude ever so slightly and consider setting only one or two goals instead of a laundry list. Having too many will make staying focused and motivated hard and losing track easy. Susan of Overland Park says, “The only resolution I’ve ever kept all year is making my bed. We’ve made our bed every day, except five days of not feeling well, so that’s a record for me for sure. I decided I needed to feel successful with one thing in my life in 2020!”

Be specific.

“Being more specific has helped me,” says Amy of Leawood. “I can say ‘work out more,’ but what does that look like? So instead of reading more, working out more, being on my phone less, etc., I phrase it as ‘read one book a month, run 30 miles each month, put my phone away by 9:00 each night, don’t open apps or email until after school drop-off.’ This feels more manageable and also puts a name to it.”

Set measurable goals.

More specific goals are important for you to maintain success but also make it easier to measure progress. If your resolution is to “get healthy,” how are you going to know when you have achieved that? Ask yourself what “get healthy” means for you. Do you want to drink more water? Eat more vegetables? Exercise more? As mentioned above, making your resolutions specific will break them down into measurable tasks to accomplish. Perhaps “get healthy” will turn into going for a walk over your lunch break three or four times a week. Maybe you will decide to drink 64 ounces of water every day or, as Rebecca shares, “Drink one glass of water before coffee every morning.” Well ... maybe we don’t need to go that far....

Don’t skip the rewards!

I don’t know about you, but I love to be rewarded for a job well done. Who doesn’t? So when it comes to setting a resolution for yourself, remember to build in a reward too! Go out and buy a new pair of leggings when you’ve run your 30 miles, or treat yourself to a special drink once you’ve hit your water goal for the week.

*GRACE!

You will have setbacks and moments you feel like giving up on your resolution, especially if this is a new experience for you. Give yourself grace for those moments! You may not be feeling well one day and be unable to get your walk or miles in. Perhaps you had dinner late with a friend and missed getting to bed by your goal time. Whatever the slip up is, realize this happens. Accept it, move on and then get yourself back in the game—don’t give up!

Here are a few great examples for resolutions that fit the bill for being small, specific and measurable:

            I hope as you have read this you have been encouraged to make your resolutions! Maybe 2021 will be the year to try making goals together as a family or involving your children in the process if they are old enough. What a great way to boost each other up and have specific things to encourage each other over. I think after 2020 we all could use a bit of that now, couldn’t we?

What’s your resolution category this year?

Julie Collett is typically not a New Year’s resolution maker herself but is going to try these strategies for 2021 and see what happens!

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