Time for a Check-in on your New Year's Resolutions

Six weeks into 2018, how are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions? Are you making progress toward your goals? Have you had any stalls or slip-ups? Do you remember what your resolution was? (Check out this post about effectively setting resolutions.)

If you’re on track to meet your goals, keep up the good work! If you’ve had any challenges, remember that it’s totally normal to face setbacks. It’s all part of learning and working toward change! The important part is to get back on track and learn from your mistakes.  

Here are five simple actions you can take to get your resolution back on track:

  1. Reflect on any planning errors. Check if your resolution meets the criteria for a SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timebound) goal. If it doesn’t, read this post and revise your resolution and increase your chances of achieving it.

  2. Deal with obstacles. Identify anything that may have gotten in the way of you keeping your resolution, and deal with it. If finances are getting in the way, perhaps you need to research free or low-cost activities that are in line with your goal. Or maybe you need to rework your budget in order to free up some money to pay for a new activity. If conflicting family responsibilities are an issue, perhaps you need to coordinate your plans with those of other family members or arrange for childcare.

  3. Don’t give up. If you slip up, begin again. It’s not easy to achieve goals, and everyone makes mistakes now and then. Avoid all-or-nothing thinking (also called “black-and-white” thinking). If you think of yourself as failing, you risk giving up on your goal entirely. Remember that it is completely normal to face challenges. Don’t beat yourself up, and take the steps to get back on track.

  4. Focus on the process, rather than the end goal. Break your overall plan down into steps, and check in daily or weekly on your activities. Remember to reward yourself for taking positive steps!

  5. Build inspiration and reminders into your environment. Place reminders of your goals, such as inspiring phrases, images or objects, around your house, car and/or work place. Keep tools required to meet your goal (healthy foods, workout equipment, art supplies) visible and easily accessible.

Good luck, and have fun working toward your best life!