Think of how many resolutions fall flat before the year’s first-month ends.
“New year, new me” is a coined phrase that almost everyone uses at the start of each year, but many people fall victim to not following through on their plans to change. Whether they don’t know how to or they fall back into old habits, the change hoped to come never does.
And as with the season, many also feel that having resolutions for the new year can only happen during the early weeks of January. But, there is no clock to having or creating goals, new and old.
So, as the first month of the year comes to an end and we enter a new month full of possibilities, one thing is for sure: it is never too late to make a change and create your list of resolutions for 2024.
To do that, here are some simple steps to create the ultimate list of New Year’s resolutions.
- Pace yourself. Drastic Sudden Change isn’t normal.
Many people when making New Year’s resolutions often make them unmanageable. As a functioning person, people naturally have habits. Whether that’s spending hours on TikTok, procrastinating, or even not getting enough sleep. Changing a habit takes time, and sudden change is not always the answer.
Kristina Lawrence, an advent resolution setter explained how resolutions are often easy to create but hard to maintain and accomplish.
“I typically don’t keep them [resolutions], and I think a reason for that is because I make a big list of things that are not really realistic. I think the biggest thing for me this year would be a mindset shift,” she said.
Learning to slowly change your habits makes change manageable and realistic. For example, instead of waking up and going on your phone, spend the first hour of the day disconnected. By doing this, the time that you spend on your phone will start to decrease. Breaking a bad habit is possible, it just takes time and effort.
- Consistency is key. Nothing changes overnight.
Anything worth something takes time. Although patience can be bitter, its fruits are sweet. Patience and consistency are crucial when following a resolution. Remember that inches eventually make a mile, but that only happens if you remember and stick to your goals.
- Give yourself grace.
You are only sometimes going to be on point with your goal. Sometimes mistakes happen. Growth can be uncomfortable and that’s okay, it’s important to ensure your disappointment doesn’t manifest into discouragement. For example, if one day you miss a day at the gym don’t dwell on the past focus on the present and future. Continue to make genuine strides and change will follow.
- Try a different approach
The ideal way to make New Year’s resolutions is to list the changes you want for the entirety of the year. That can sometimes be overwhelming. There are many different methods to create a list of changes, but making New Year’s resolutions you want to accomplish each month makes change digestible. For example, in February, a goal can be to make outside time a daily regimen. Then, by the end of February, that’s a part of your routine, so going into March, your goal of intentionally eating healthier food can start to be accomplished. This method makes your resolutions bite-sized and not as broad.
- Think of your future self
Change is something that you’re always going to want to do. It’s uncomfortable but the longer you put it off the longer results will come. Think of the future you and how changed that person will be. Recognize that the sooner you start to make strides to change, the sooner you can see results.
