So it’s the second week of January and we all feel that slump for real. New Year's resolutions are good in theory, but changing habits takes a ton of effort. I’m the queen of believing I’m a superhero and can just power through any resistance (hiiiiii Enneagram 8).
But the truth is, sometimes we need some re-aligning & intention to keep moving forward with those goals. You SET them for a reason, they are desires you want. Here’s 3 tricks on how to maintain those New Year’s Resolutions:
#1: DO ONE DAMN THING YOU ENJOY:
Holding yourself accountable and making big changes can be mentally draining after a week or two. Next time you’re driving home from work, turn off the radio, and brainstorm something you can do this week that is simply because you enjoy it. You don’t have to compromise your goals either! If your goal is: “eat healthier”, you don’t need to go get a pint of ice cream. Nah, girl.
Go on a hike.
Get out your paints out from the closet.Meet up with a friend you like.
Go to a happy hour (order a vodka/soda water/lime! It won’t spike your blood sugar.)Watch a TV show you like.Go for a walk on Town Lake….take a picnic lunch at Zilker park.
You get it.Just take some time for mental respite, it will go a long way towards the longevity you need to accomplish your goals.
#2: REASSESS YOUR GOALS (this doesn’t mean you’re failing!)
Okay. If you’re like me you’re thinking: well shit, that just means I somehow ALREADY effed up. Nah, sis - I promise. Reassessing isn’t failure.Although: do yourself a favor and create proper space for you to sit down with your goals. Light a couple candles, pour yourself a glass of wine, (or whiskey if you’re me), and open that journal back up to your 2020 goals.*And if you haven’t written them down: I’m sorry! WHAT? Go do that first!!!*
Point is: a great atmosphere makes the world of difference so do whatever that means for you. Maybe you prefer to curl up at your favorite coffee shop in the morning instead. Or go on a long walk. Regardless, treat yourself to an experience you love in order to get back in touch with your resolutions and align from there. This isn’t a chore & it’s not a failure. The goal is to be able to look at your goals objectively so that you make practical decisions, and not emotional. You’ll be able to feel the difference.
Here’s the deal: maybe when you set your goals, you missed some very real logistics. Maybe there are barriers you can simply remove. Maybe your goals just need to be tweaked in order to accomplish the same feeling you’re after.For example: maybe “I’m going to work out 6x a week” has turned into an issue because of work scheduling or an honest need for a social life. It could be realigned to:“I’m going to the gym 4x a week, and the other 2 days I will do 15 minutes of yoga before bed”.
Or if your goal was: “I’m going to get up at 5am” but you keep pressing snooze: remove that barrier by plugging your phone in across the room so you HAVE to get out of bed to turn it off. Re-assessing doesn’t always mean adjusting your goals - it just means looking at them with experience now.
Don’t be afraid to make your goals work for you. They SHOULD challenge you. But they also shouldn’t be causing tremendous stress. The overall goal is always to feel good. (And if you wanna know more about that, I highly recommend this book).
#3: TOUGHEN UP, BUTTERCUP.
Sometimes, you just need to be mentally tougher. Only YOU can tell what is letting yourself off the hook, & what is a powerful shift towards your goals. If you’ve objectively re-assessed and your goals simply ARE set up well…then you gotta be stronger. And you can be! Resistance is a great teacher, if you let her. Learn from these mid-January slumps in your goals, and prove to yourself you can make changes. There’s nothing like that feeling of empowerment that comes from powering through.
Okay! There ya go! Three tricks to make it through if you’re hitting a wall with your goals. Don’t just throw your intentions away - that doesn’t honor yourself or give yourself a very big vote of confidence. Do something you enjoy, reassess why things may not be working, and be stronger than the old habits.
That’s it! Comment below and share if you have other ways of holding yourself accountable!