So it’s January; a time of year well known for “New Year Resolutions” and goals for the future. But how many of us actually accomplish them?
A poll of 2,000 British people, published by Bupa, found that, half of those who made a resolution for 2017 were not confident they would stick to it.
So how can you make goals and stick to them? Here are our top tips!
Be realistic
It’s ok to be ambitious but make sure you can achieve your goal! It should be challenging enough to be motivating but not so unattainable that you can't reach it without losing focus. Setting a realistic timeline for achieving your goal is vital.
Define the goal
Specify details if you can. Setting deadlines for projects can be a great motivator. Write them down or create a mood board if you’re more visual. The act of doing this can really help you to remember them and want to stick to them more. Make sure your goal is specific. For example don’t just say you want to lose weight. Say what your target weight to be.
Tell people you’re doing it
It’s surprising just who much it can convince you to stick to your resolution, knowing that others will know if you don’t succeed. It is engrained in our psyche to want to appear as successful as possible.
Remind yourself why
Before you start, write a list of reasons why you want to achieve this particular goal. When you feel as though you might fail, it can be great to read them and remind yourself why you’re doing it.
Don’t worry if you stumble
Ok, we all know that sticking to your goal is important but if you smoke once or have an eating cheat day, don’t let it derail you. So often people say assume that they should just give up entirely if they trip up once. This doesn’t have to be the case. No one is perfect but it doesn’t have to stop you achieving your dreams and goals.