10 tips on how to make your New Year’s Resolutions come true

New Year’s Resolutions

RESOLUTIONS – a familiar concept at this time of the year – so easy to make yet hard to keep! New Year’s is when we all give thought to making changes or improvements in our lives (Hurt, 2004) and a re-SOLUTION is that particular solution! Now, you know how not keeping to your resolutions can make you feel somewhat unaccomplished. We all have that one year (many years, if we’re being honest) where keeping a New Year’s resolution was tougher than trying to understand your skin (hey, that’s why we are here).

Some of us are guilty of ‘starting afresh’ every month until we finally give up and bet on the following year… again. It’s no surprise that half of all resolutions fail, but that doesn’t have to be you in 2022. We believe the chances of succeeding are higher if perhaps you tried something new this time around… some new tips, maybe?

Here are 10 tips you can implement to achieve your 2022 New Year’s Resolutions:

Cultivate a growth mindset

How we let failure affect us can have an impact on mindset and sticking to New Year’s resolutions! Deciding that New Year’s resolutions or changes can only be made at the beginning of the year or when followed throughout the year may actually be detrimental to progress. A growth mindset allows you to understand that failure itself is a learning and growth opportunity- you’re on a learning curve and looking at each day as a brand new chance to take a step towards being your best self and keep trying is a great way to condition yourself to a growth mindset.
2. Begin taking steps soon after making a resolution

Decided your New Year’s resolutions? Great! Now write them down in your journal, sticky note or on your desktop as a reminder everyday! That’s a step itself… by reminding yourself you are more likely to consciously begin taking more steps to making it happen – for instance, you may want to learn how to cook (mmm.. food) and skimming through youtube videos and blogs while on a break from work or your daily grind could be that little change you make towards your personal growth (Warning: this could potentially make you hungry). Little steps like these psychologically prepare you to immerse yourself into the new life you’re trying to create and be successful at it over time – sounds food (good** we meant good) right?

3. Make a plan

It’s one thing to write a beautiful list of New Year’s Resolutions and a totally different ball game to bring those plans to life! Having a plan that clearly stipulates what project you’ll be undertaking, for instance, travelling more, activities involved, resources required, and timelines …would be of great benefit! Then, you can get the foresight that you need to take steps and give what you’re focusing on at any time your absolute best. Putting some thought into how things would pan out and what needs to be done can help you achieve your resolutions!

4. Create milestones to look forward to

Milestones are important achievements or steps you can create to measure progress or reward yourself. It’s hard to know when you’re making progress if you’re not measuring what you’re doing. It’s even harder to stay motivated when you can’t trace your steps and see how far you’ve come! Find a way to know that you are making progress, and don’t be shy to treat yourself when you smash that goal (big or small, it doesn’t matter)!

5. Some resolutions could revolve around things you’re already doing

Seeing things through to the end and ensuring every aspect of your plan to accomplish your resolution is a great way to make them a reality in 2022. Perhaps try to improve on at least one thing in 2022 that you’ve already committed to and are currently doing from last year to see the difference consistency can make over time.

6. Share your goals with relevant support systems

It’s a proven fact that people have a higher chance of achieving their goals when they share them with people who can keep them accountable. Your support system could be your mentor, parent, friend, coach, boss, grandmother, family… basically anyone you know and trust to have your best intentions at heart! Weird as it is when we know that the people who care about us will ask about our progress, it motivates us to achieve more because we don’t want to let them down. This makes us more successful 🙂 .

7. Know when to hit the pause button

New Year’s resolutions don’t have to be set in stone. When setting goals, we usually have no idea what our upcoming year will be like and what could creep up on us. Sometimes, nothing ever goes to plan, so re-assessing your goals as the year goes will help determine what is still a priority and what isn’t. When you find yourself unnecessarily overstretching trying to make a resolution happen, it’s time to hit the pause button and think.

8. Find ways to stay motivated

Some resolutions require complete lifestyle shifts, which may be uncomfortable and sometimes downright complicated. It’s essential to motivate yourself every other day, if not every day. Take the time to discover what works for you- You could listen to podcasts, take walks, join a valuable community, journal, take yoga classes, go for hikes, get mentors, indulge in self-care, or read our blogs ;). Motivating yourself is critical!

P.S: It’s more about who you become in the process of smashing your goals and what you learn along the way.

9. Set goals you consider top priority in the coming year

Think about what you know for a fact you need to be doing in 2022 like your life depends on it, and add that to your list! Sometimes we create a list that requires a lot of work when we could focus on what is a priority for a one year-period. There’s time for everything, and we’re firm believers that once you put first things first, things will automatically begin to flow, and you’ll start seeing progress – trust us!

10. Assess your current habits and their value in your life

If you look closely, chances are that something is taking up the space in your life for what you want. Could it be working too much? Not having a budget? Spending too much time on the phone? But, unfortunately, the new and the old do not coexist when it comes to habits. To make room for the new first, we have to be aware of and get rid of what is no longer serving us – hashtag deep cleanse (pun intended)!

What new tip will you be implementing in 2022? Let us know in the comments 🙂