Keep Your New Year’s Resolution

Learning how to keep your New Year’s resolution can be a real challenge some years! We start off strong.  We have an incredible resolve. Then, once February rolls around, many of us are scrambling to remember why we started such an impossible journey.   We may not have even started our New Year’s resolution efforts. 

What’s your ultimate goal this New Year? What over-reaching life goal are you hoping to accomplish? I mean, that’s what a NewYear’s resolution is, right?

Why you may fail to keep your New Year’s resolution 

Here’s the problem with New Year’s resolutions.  We set goals but we have no “why” behind them. There’s no driving factor. There’s nothing to ensure our endurance.  

You want to keep your New Years resolution?  Then you need more than an empty statement and an unfulfilled plan. You need a personal motto statement. You need an affirmation of what you are capable of accomplishing.  

Your personal motto statement doesn’t have to be long. In fact, it could be a simple word. One word could be the driving force for major life changes.  

 Creating a personal motto statement helps you have a mind shift.  Every time you feel like you are going off track, you revisit your personal motto statement.

Here’s how to create a personal motto statement and keep your New Year’s resolution: 

Determine your goal 

What is your goal? What does it look like? Don’t be afraid to dream big either.

No giant goals? That’s ok. When I first decided to purge and declutter my home, my goal was simple. Get rid of a few bags of excess stuff. 

Set yourself a small goal.  Then, give yourself a stretch goal. A goal that really would challenge you…and change you. Once you build momentum, you will be well on your way for hitting your small goal and your stretch goal may not seem so impossible.

Name your WHY

What’s your WHY? Why are you making a New Year’s resolution? Why are you setting a goal? Why are you doing what you are doing?

Knowing your WHY will be your motivation. It is the reason behind everything you are doing.  It can be a selfish WHY.  Don’t worry about that! 

When I wanted to simplify my life it wasn’t so I could be more available for my family or to help others. I was just sick of cleaning up.  I hated cleaning up after everyone in my family all the time, and I thought there had to be a better way. It was 100% selfish when I started, and that’s ok. 

By being selfish, you are taking care of you. By taking care of you, you open yourself up to eventually take care of others in a healthier and more energetic way.  Be selfish with your WHY if you want to. It’s ok. 

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Write it down! 

Writing down your motto statement is like writing down a goal.  It comes to life on paper. It becomes something you can say out loud over and over again. 

When I don’t write down my goals, they get lost.  Sure, I’m excited. I get ready for my big challenge, and I even buy all the necessary materials, etc. Then, life happens, and I forget my goal or my goal changes before I even finish it.  

The same happens when you don’t have a personal motto statement.  You get all excited, but you lose focus. When you lose focus, your goals get forgotten.

Commit your personal motto statement to memory 

Commit your personal motto statement to memory.  This is why I favor short ones!!! Heck, go with one word if you have to.  

If you prefer something longer and more inspiring, then write it down and say it daily until you have it memorized. It sounds silly, but when you remind yourself daily of your resolution, it’s so much easier to keep it at the forefront of your mind.

Practice daily 

We get so excited in January when we make aNew Year’s resolution.  We know this is the year we will keep our New Year’s resolution and succeed.  It’s a fresh new start, and we have big expectations for ourselves.  Heck, many of us are off from work, and so we also have the time to commit to being better.

Then, life happens.  Soon it’s one appointment here or another commitment there, and before we know it, we don’t have time to commit to our New Year’s resolution.  

Practice daily your New Year’s resolution. If it’s eating healthy, have at least one healthy meal. Even if all the other ones are awful for you, at least you did something good for yourself today. 

No energy to work out? Take a walk.  Go out the door. No excuses. Even if your goal was to run, at least you are moving, which is practice for another day. 

Purging and decluttering your home as your New Year’s resolution? Do one small area a day.  Too tired, tackle a junk drawer. Pick out one piece of clothing to declutter from your closet. 

When you practice daily, you will get better.  Making new habits will get easier.  Just don’t stop.  

The easiest way to keep a New Year’s resolution is to keep going. Failed for a week? Who cares?!  Keep going. Don’t stop. 

Put one foot in front of the other. Even if you are taking super small steps, you are still taking steps. When you look back after a few days, weeks, or even months, you will see progress.  

It’s like hiking up a mountain and then turning around to see how far you’ve come.  It’s hard when we are doing it.  Sometimes it feels like the progress isn’t worth the effort. Then, when we stop to look, we have summited a huge mountain! The views are always great once you finally get to the top! 

Track your progress

When I started a business, tracking my progress at the end of each week and each month was the only thing that kept me sane and pushing forward.  So many weeks I would think what I was doing was a waste of my time and efforts.  I was spinning my wheels. 

Then, I started to reflect on what I had done.  I would actually write it down.  To my surprise, month over month, my accomplishments were piling up.  My efforts were creating results.  What was a stretch goal months prior, was easy-peasy this month.

It gets easier.  Yet, when we are in the “messy middle”, it doesn’t feel that way. It feels hard. It feels like a waste. Don’t give up and pat yourself on the back for all the wins! No win is too small!!!

Celebrate your wins!

When you meet a goal, no matter how small, celebrate it! Tell others about your success, and let them celebrate with you. It doesn’t have to be anything big, but do treat yourself. 

If you are keeping a New Year’s resolution, you deserve to give yourself a treat. It doesn’t have to be an unhealthy treat. It can be something that supports you on your ongoing journey.  Get creative!

You can keep your New Year’s resolution.  Don’t give up on yourself! Be persistent, and practice daily.  Give yourself a personal motto statement, and say it daily.  Write it down daily! If you live it and practice it every single day, you will be on a much more successful path to keeping your New Year’s resolution this year.  Good luck!

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