We all look forward to the New Year because it means we can start most things with a clean slate. But 80% of us ditch our resolutions by the end of February because of unrealistic or unspecific goals that leave us feeling overwhelmed.
If you are not sure where to start, we have a few ideas to get you started and how you can maintain your goals throughout the year.
Why people fail and how you can avoid this
Resolutions are not a one-size-fits-all solution for everyone. Therefore, tailoring your goals to suit you and the time you have to achieve this needs to be as realistic as possible. Whichever resolution you have in mind for the year, keep in mind to us the S.M.A.R.T approach by assessing if your goal is: Specific, measurable, achievable, and time-bound.
Eating clean
Weight loss and becoming fit are on top of most people's lists for the new year, which is a great way to improve your overall health and save on many expenses. But the common mistake that most people make is to take on too much too fast, which can lead to burnout.
When it comes to eating clean, it is crucial to do a gradual change than to clean out your fridge and replace it with every fruit and vegetable under the sun. By gradually cutting back on the unhealthy food groups that wreck our health and introducing more fruits and vegetables can help in reaching our goals. A handy tip on starting is reducing your portions, including more proteins to stay fuller for longer and drinking more water to balance things out.
Learning or improving skills
Another resolution that frequently makes its way onto our lists is learning a new skill or improving on an existing skill we have that has been neglected for some time. Understanding that when it comes to learning a new skill or improving on an existing one, requires discipline to help you pace yourself. Practice makes perfect.
Therefore, starting now and working on it over time can lead to less disappointment. Remember to set a realistic target of where you would like to be by frequently tracking your progress. It will take time to muster the discipline, but it will be worth it.
Narrow it down to a few resolutions
Having a long list of things that you want to achieve before the year is over can be overwhelming. The key is to choose a few resolutions and work on achieving these. You can narrow this down to 3-5 goals that you can work on during the year. Always keep in mind to start as soon as possible, start small and keep working on it, even when the going gets tough.
