How to Make and Keep a New Year’s Resolution

It’s officially the third day into the new year, and you probably have your goals set in stone to ring in 2019. However, according to Forbes, 40% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, but only 8% of people actually achieve their goals. With the dramatic decrease, you can’t help but wonder what the secret is behind keeping your anticipated goals in check and how these goal diggers do it!

Many individuals typically fail because they are not making the right resolutions. Usually, a resolution will fail if it is too vague, you don’t have a realistic plan to complete your goal, or you are making a resolution that is based on what someone else or the rest of society is telling you to change about yourself. So, here are four ways you can achieve your goals while totally dominating 2019.

Be Specific

Every year I find myself being way too vague! I always say “I want to lose weight” or “I want to travel more.” However, this year I took the time and wrote down my specific weight loss goals — for example, the amount of weight I want to lose by a specific date or how I want to run a 5K in the summer with my family. These goals can become reachable and practical because I was specific.

Be Measurable

Yes, this technique can also help me with my weight loss journey. I can track the progress by logging in a journal or taking simple notes on my phone. No matter what the resolution may be, you can keep track of your progress. For instance, if your goal is to give up a bad habit track your behaviors, so you have a frequent reminder that your goal is reachable and sustainable.

Time-Bound

This technique is extremely beneficial. Make sure you give yourself a realistic timeline, in order to achieve your goal. When creating your timeline, form smaller intermediate goals, so you have mini celebrations along the way. For  example, I want to see an increase in readership for TalkingAtTiffany’s. So, I will set a specific number I want to achieve each month. This will allow me to celebrate minor wins while working towards my primary goal.

Relevant

When writing down your New Year’s resolutions, make sure your goal really matters to you. According to Dr. Michael Bennet, “if you do it out of the sense of self-hate or remorse or a strong passion In that moment, it doesn’t’ usually last long.” Therefore, this year I have set several career goals for myself because, at this time in my life, I want to grow as a professional. Sometimes, I compare myself to others within my industry and I have decided that in 2019, I will not compare and set goals that are relevant to my specific career path.

My 2019 New Year’s Resolutions

1. Run a 5K this summer with my family/ Lose 15 pounds before my study abroad trip.

2. Post five times a week on TalkingAtTiffany’s.

3. Get a 4.0 in graduate school.

4. Visit two places I have never been before.

5. Drink more water.

If you want to achieve your goals, check in with yourself regularly! Reassessing your resolutions throughout the weeks and months will help you get to your end goal. Don’t’ be afraid to tweak your resolutions, don’t rely on others to get you going, and stick with what works. Be your own cheerleader and believe in yourself.  Now, go kick 2019s ass!

They key to success is sharing your resolutions to the public. So, please share your 2019 New Year’s resolutions below!