Time To Turn The Page! Setting Yourself up for Success in Your 2021 Resolutions
'Tis the season for New Year’s Resolutions! We have all been there before: setting big goals at the beginning of a new year only to give up on them within a few weeks or months. This can be really discouraging, especially when the goal is important to you! The solution? Keep reading! We have some recommendations about how to set realistic goals that you can actually accomplish this year...
STEP 1 – Define your goals: When figuring out your resolutions for this year, keep in mind these two principles: being specific and being measurable. Oftentimes people will set abstract goals such as “get in shape.” The problem? How will you know when you are “in shape”? If fitness is your goal this year, you’ll want to get specific and set a goal like “complete 5 juice cleanses” or “lose 10 pounds”. These specific goals will help keep you on task and also allow you to actually measure your success at the end of the year. Did you do the 5 juice cleanses? Did you lose the 10 pounds?
STEP 2 – Create mini-goals within the big goal: With 365 days to accomplish resolutions, people often set MASSIVE goals without considering the many steps you will need to accomplish first. For example, if your goal is to “clean up your diet” (of course, you’ll want to be a little more specific…), you may want to consider breaking that big goal down into chunks. We recommend creating mini-goals to accomplish at the end of each quarter. For example, you could say, “By March 31st, I will have eliminated processed foods from my diet. By June 30th, I will have added more vegetables to my diet” and so on… These mini-goals will help you stay focused and lead you right to the success you want!
STEP 3 – Stay accountable: How many times have you given up on a New Year’s Resolution? You were too tired, too busy, or a million other excuses? As busy people, we aren’t necessarily the best accountability coaches for ourselves, but there’s an easy solution! Find a good friend or family member who is also setting resolutions, and become each other’s accountability coaches! Plan some scheduled touchpoints throughout the year, whether it’s a phone call or a Zoom, and simply hold each other accountable.
With the new year upon us, we all have the opportunity to use our lessons from 2020 as personal growth building blocks in 2021. So, resolve to learn from 2020, define your goals, set benchmarks, and stay connected with the important people in your life. We wish you a Happy New Year and are always here to help you with your health goals!
