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Fell Off Your Resolutions? Get Back On Track With These 5 Tips

Every year, like clockwork, people make New Year’s resolutions.

Somehow, we manage to fool ourselves into thinking that when the clock strikes midnight, everything will change. We’ll suddenly have the motivation to start exercising, or quit smoking. When that doesn’t happen overnight, we end up disappointed in ourselves, and sometimes giving up on our goals.

The fact is that anything worth doing takes effort. Nobody makes a New Year’s resolution to play more video games, or eat more ice cream. We make them to motivate ourselves to conquer a challenge or achieve a goal.

So don’t kick yourself if you haven’t managed to kick that laziness habit. Recognize that this is a journey, and there will be setbacks along the road. The good news is that the journey of your life doesn’t rely on a certain day on the calendar.

You’re living your life right now, so why not keep working on those goals?

Here are five ways to get back on track with your New Year’s resolution:


5. Set Realistic Goals

Remember what we said about miracles not happening overnight? This means you need to adjust your expectations.

Let’s say you wanted to run five miles every day, but you got winded after a mile and a half.

You could just accept that you can’t run five miles and give up. Or, you could run that same mile and a half again the next day, and keep doing it all week. Then you could run two miles every day the next week, and so on.

4. Celebrate the Milestones

As you progress through your goals, make sure to give yourself some credit as you achieve each milestone.

Treat yourself to a cheat meal the day you double your initial mileage on your run, or buy yourself a new shirt after you’ve lost your first five pounds.

By celebrating the little things, you’ll encourage yourself to keep on doing better.

3. Have Fun Along the Way

Don’t forget to enjoy yourself along the way. Take a rest day if you need one. Reward yourself with your favorite food every now and then, or have a small splurge on something you’ve had your eye on after you’ve reached a certain savings goal.

Just make sure to enjoy yourself in moderation. Because if every day is a “cheat day,” you’re not really on a diet!

2. Have a Friend Hold You Accountable

Humans are social animals. Even with a solitary task, like losing weight or saving money, it helps if you ask a friend to hold you accountable.

In a moment of weakness, we can all make excuses for letting ourselves down and skipping that workout or sneaking that sugary snack. If one of your friends is counting on you, it’s a lot harder to let them down.

1. Think Positive

It’s easy to think of a New Year’s resolution in negative terms. “I’m going to stop eating so much junk,” or “I’m going to stop wasting money on games.”

It’s easier if you think of things in positive terms. “I’m going to eat more healthy foods,” and “I’m going to save more money for the future,” are both more positive ways to think of those goals.

It’s all about the way you frame it to yourself, and you’ll see faster and easier success if you set your mind up for a positive outcome.

Even though New Year’s is a distant memory now, it’s not too late to recalibrate and remind ourselves that we set those goals because they were important to us.

So, what’s driving your dreams? Always remember: You’re in control, so don’t let your future veer off course. You’ve got this.


 Justin | Maine, USA

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