Most of us, either on the evening of the 31st of December, or on the 1st of January look back on our year and make some resolutions for the new year. Somehow the start of a new year becomes a catalyst for people to start thinking of changing their lives. But as we all know, the majority of resolutions start to fade out by the end of January and by February, most of us abandon our resolutions. So what can we do to ensure that we stick with our resolutions and end 2020 on a high note? Here are seven steps you can use to keep your resolutions. Read on…

Keep it Small and Simple
Sometimes we want to completely change our lives and do a 360 degree lifestyle change. This simply put, does not work and you will only set up yourself for disappointment. Instead focus on a few important goals and work towards them in the year. Change a couple of specific behaviours at a time and you will succeed.

Talk about it
Share your experiences with family and friends. Blog about it if you are a blogger. Once your goals become public, then you become accountable about them. The more public your resolutions are, the higher the chances of it becoming a reality. You can also put the resolutions in writing and share it with family and friends and ask them to keep you accountable about it. Consider joining a support group to reach your goals, such as a workout class at your gym or a group of coworkers quitting smoking. Having someone to share your struggles and successes with makes your journey to a healthier lifestyle that much easier and less intimidating.

Don’t beat yourself up
Perfection is unattainable. Remember that minor missteps when reaching your goals are completely normal and OK. Don’t give up completely because you ate a brownie and broke your diet, or skipped the gym for a week because you were busy. Everyone has ups and downs; resolve to recover from your mistakes and get back on track.

Be realistic
Don’t aim too high and ignore the ground realities. If you have made a similar resolution previously, then look back and take stock on why you failed earlier. Learn from past failures so that this time you are able to succeed where you failed before. Set realistic goals this time around and you will surely succeed where you failed.

Create Mini Resolutions
Building up to your resolution, you could also create mini resolutions leading to the big one. Say you want to lose 10 kgs in a year, then break that down to 1 kg a month or even 250 gms each week, which looks very achieveable as opposed to losing 10 kg which feels unsurmountable.

Celebrate Successes
Celebrate all achievements, however small they may be. If you manage to tick off a small aspect of your resolution, then do something to celebrate it. Continuing from the previous example, if you managed to lose a kg, then do something for yourself – go for a spa treatment, buy a book or even some clothes for yourself. This way, you are constantly cheering yourself up and you have something to look forward to when you hit your mini milestones. You could also plan for celebrations for each milestone achieved and this will then further motivate you.

Dont Give Up
During the year, you will slip-up. But don’t berate yourself and slip back into your old and wrong habits when that happens. Reflect on your past achievements, brush off the slip-up and get back into track again.