5 ways to stick to your resolutions this year

The year is already in full swing, and many of us have set resolutions for ourselves.. However, not all of us have been as successful as others at sticking to them. When you set your 2017 resolutions, you were a bubbling ball of positivity. Motivation quickly dies down once the “resolution” hype is over.

1. One at a time! You may be eager to get it all done and dusted, but that’s a quick recipe to burnout for most. Take your resolutions and break them up into smaller resolutions. This will allow you to tackle them one at a time, notice the progress and maybe even savouring the moments you accomplish each one more than you would have if you rushed through them all by March. Leave something to enjoy throughout the year.
2. Share your resolutions. Sharing your goals with someone you trust allows for you to be motivated and held accountable for what you said you would do. We all do more when we know someone is watching. Tell a friend or family member - and maybe get them to join you on your journey!
3. Write it down. Put your resolutions down on paper and stick them up where you can see them as a constant reminder. Why not even take it a step further and schedule time to complete your resolutions? That way, you have no excuse because you have actually made time for it. This will also help you plan ahead and get whatever you need to make success possible.
4. Take stock and be patient. Tracking your progress allows you to reflect and see that you’re probably not doing as badly as you thought. This could also be your source of motivation. However, when doing so, remember to be patient with yourself. Visible change takes time, and success is often slow progress.
5. Reward yourself. Good work deserves recognition. When you reach a resolution milestone, reward yourself. You’ve probably been pretty strict with yourself, so with every achievement, reward yourself to keep yourself motivated. Remember to also speak positivity into your actions as tackle each one. Remember, don’t reward yourself with something that will set you back.

Don’t be that “all or nothing” guy who goes in hard on the execution and then can’t get back up if things don’t work out as planned – challenges will come, because life happens, but you should be able to get up after a slip up – much like how insurance covers you for the “what-ifs” of the world.

Sources:
- http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/10-ways-to-make-your-new-years-resolutions-stick#1
- http://miwaylife.co.za/blog/how-to-actually-keep-your-new-years-resolutions
- http://www.lifehack.org/articles/featured/7-steps-for-making-a-new-years-resolution-and-keeping-it.html
- http://www.wikihow.com/Stick-to-a-New-Year's-Resolution