Do you make a promise to yourself to do something nice for yourself every New Year? Why not make this promise a goal? 

Giving up too soon.

Research in this area suggests that a large percentage of people who set themselves a new year’s resolution break it within a month of setting it. So how can we ensure that we achieve the goals that we set for ourselves? We have some tips that can help you to keep your new year’s resolutions and make positive change.

Are your goals realistic?

Whatever goals you set, they need to be achievable. That does not mean that you should not think big. If you set unrealistic goals, you are likely to give up on them before you have even started. Part of setting a realistic goal is being specific about what the goal itself is, rather than “I will not eat junk food ever again” setting a goal such as “eating 3-5 portions of fruit and vegetables daily” is more specific and measurable.  

Build in rewards.

When you are working towards long term goals it can be easy to lose motivation before you have reached where you want to be. When you break down your goals, it is a great idea to set smaller, easily achievable goals as well as longer-term goals. Adding in small rewards will keep you on track and make the whole process more enjoyable.

Make it fun.

Most people’s new years resolutions focus on things they would like to improve about themselves, or things they haven’t yet achieved. The truth is any time of year is a good one to make a positive change, so why not add in a new year’s resolution that is just for fun? Have you ever wanted to try a new dance class, visit the city you want to live in or even learn to cook? Now is the perfect time to try something new and make life more interesting.

Set yourself a timeframe.

If there are specific steps you need to take to achieve your goals, open your diary, look at how much time you can spare and schedule them in. This will give you a realistic idea of how long it will take you to achieve your goal and small changes in daily habits are essential for long term change. If you need to allow yourself a longer timeframe or re-evaluate a goal that is OK too, the most important thing is that you make a start!

Create a mood board.

Why not make a mood board so you can visualize your goals? This is a great way to explore some of the things you want to achieve for the year ahead in a creative way. You could check the Flower and Spice mood boards  on Pinterest.

And you know what, getting what you want many times depends on saying it out oud. "I want a sailboat." So this year I will set my goal to learn everything there is to know about sailing.

What will you do to make your dream a reality? 

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