How to Stay Motivated to Keep Your New Year's Resolutions

With each New Year comes the promise of a fresh start. Seeing it as an opportunity to create real change in our lives, many of us adopt the “New Year, New Me” mentality. We come up with a resolution to get healthier and break bad habits.

Then, after starting off strong for two weeks, we slip up. Like clockwork, we go down the shame spiral, and the negative self-talk begins. I’ll never lose weight. I can’t quit smoking. What’s the point in trying?

The sad truth is this is an ongoing cycle for most people. In fact, did you know less than 10% of New Year’s resolutions are achieved? This is due to the fact that most resolutions are unrealistic and set us up to fail.

The key is to reframe the way you set goals. This will help you stay motivated and make sure you follow through.

Why Resolutions Fail

The reason resolutions are so difficult is because they are not aligned with our beliefs.

When we slip up, we believe it’s because we’re undisciplined, lazy, and weak. What we fail to realize is that we’re only human and slipping up is normal. It doesn’t mean that we aren’t strong and capable of achieving our goals.

Most people give in to the negative self-talk and self-sabotage. The only way to create positive lasting change is to change your beliefs at the core of these bad habits. The person who has a healthy sense of self can overcome their inner critic.

Start Setting Intentions

Since we act in accordance with our beliefs, the first step is to set a positive intention. This helps you shift into a more positive mindset, and when you change the way you think, you ultimately change the way you feel and behave.

If you say to yourself, “losing weight is too hard” you will unconsciously find ways to reinforce that negative belief.

Try changing your belief to “I can do this. I’m excited to feel healthy and more energized.” This way of thinking is driven by a vision of the future, rather than being stuck in the past. Through repetition, you will replace your old beliefs with new ones and your lifestyle will reflect it.

Most importantly, think ‘what’s your why?’ If you have a strong enough reason to lose weight, you will do whatever it takes to make it happen.

When you set an intention, you essentially raise your self-awareness. When you gain a deeper sense of who you are, you will make healthier decisions and build the momentum you need to achieve your goals.

3 Steps to Increase Your Chances of Success

Envision the person you want to be and follow these steps to achieve your goals in 2020:

1. Hold yourself accountable.

To stay on track, come up with a plan of action. Set small achievable goals. Use the template: “I intend to ____ by ____.” For example, “I intend to eat healthier by cooking five of my own meals this week.” As time passes, you can adjust the number. Be sure to choose a goal that is realistic with your schedule and lifestyle. In this case, if you normally get home late, you may not be able to start with five meals. If so, then begin with three.

2. Have others keep you accountable.

Be open about your goals. When other people hold you accountable, it’s harder to slip back into bad habits. Tell a few friends about your resolution, and ask them to check in for updates. It’s easier to keep a resolution when you have support from loved ones.

To take it one step further, you can recruit a gym buddy or someone who has a similar resolution. You will be able to support and relate to each other on a deeper level, since you have the same goal in mind.

3. Ditch the negative self-talk and view mistakes as a learning tool.

Accept that you will stumble along the way. View setbacks as part of the process and the sooner you can move past them, the sooner you will grow and step into your potential.

Stay focused on your progress, not the outcome. Look at how far you’ve come and how hard you’ve worked.

Above all, don’t wait until you’ve achieved your goal to be proud of yourself. Celebrate each step you take along the way and enjoy the journey!

Are you ready to make 2020 your best year yet? Follow these steps to unlock your potential and finally follow through with your New Year’s resolutions!