New Year, New You? How to Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Last

Like many of us, you might have spent your New Year’s Day planning for 2018, setting goals and making resolutions for the year ahead. Making New Year’s resolutions is something that a lot of people do, but very few actually manage to stick to! In fact, less than 10% of New Year’s resolutions are ever realised. Whether your resolution be to get healthy, lose weight, save money, get a promotion, or be happier and more fulfilled, we have put together some top tips on how to make your New Year’s resolutions last.

Why we make New Year’s resolutions

You’ve probably been doing it for most of your life: making New Year’s resolutions. When you were just a kid, they probably included things like making the local sporting team, or working up the courage to ask out that girl/guy you’d had a crush on for months. As you grew older, your resolutions likely changed to ones concerning your health and fitness, career and money. Many of us also make New Year’s resolutions that centre around finding happiness and fulfillment.

There’s a reason that we make New Year’s resolutions, and that they change as we grow older. Most of us find ourselves so caught up with the day-to-day goings-on in our lives, like work, school, taking care of the kids and meeting our social obligations, that we neglect to assess our goals and make plans for the future. The New Year is a time when we take some time to relax and regroup, spend time with family and friends, and take the time to reflect on the year that was. The natural pause at the end of the year gives us a good opportunity to reassess for the next year, and hope that it will be better than the last. Unfortunately, it’s also a time when we might tend to beat ourselves up for what we didn’t achieve in the year that has just passed.

If you’re someone who failed to meet your New Year’s resolutions in 2017, then don’t worry! There are a few key things you can do this year to give yourself the best chance of sticking to those new goals for 2018.

Go easy on yourself

Setting yourself a goal to forego takeaway food for the rest of the year and lose 20kg might be an admirable one – but is it realistic? It is important to set goals for yourself that are realistic, measurable and won’t set you up for failure. If you’ve had trouble sticking to this same resolution from last year, then perhaps go a little easier on yourself this time around. Set a resolution that you’ll do your best, and make positive changes every day. Most of all, don’t beat yourself up for falling off the wagon! Just get right back on it.

Make a plan

Failure to plan is planning to fail, they say. This old adage is as true for New Year’s resolutions as it is for anything else you’re working towards. Whether you’re setting yourself a grand and difficult goal to quit drinking and get fit, or a more abstract goal like increasing your happiness, it’s easy to lose track of what you’re aiming for. Making a clear plan for how you’re going to achieve these goals is key to staying on track. Here are some examples:

If your goal is to get fit and healthy: Set yourself a specific meal plan and create a shopping list for each week, plan to do the groceries and shop for what you need (so that you won’t be caught out and end up having to buy fast food), and plan a structured exercise regime. Keep yourself accountable by having a coach, or a friend of family member who you can report your progress to.

If your goal is to save money: Download an app that will help you track your spending, and keep an eye on where your money is going. Set a budget, including all of your expenses and incidentals. Define a savings goal for each pay period, and even set up automatic transfers. Most importantly, assess what you can do without, such as your three daily coffees, and forego these small expenses. Every little bit adds up.

If your goal is to have more gratitude: Keep a diary, and each morning, write down three things that you’re grateful for. Make a plan for how to handle situations that affect your ability to feel grateful (such as using affirmative statements, or having some self-care routines you can use in times of distress). Most importantly – understand that nothing happens overnight! Keep working at it!

Get help with your motivation

Guess what: You don’t need to do it alone! Meeting your New Year’s resolutions is not something that you need to struggle with on your own. There are actually a number of avenues you can turn to, to help you stick it out and achieve your goals. At Integrated Health Specialists, we offer some fantastic programs to assist you with your 2018 goals. These include:

Life coaching: Our highly successful life coaching programs make use of the latest solution-focused mind techniques that can help you to achieve your goals quicker than you ever imagined! The power is all yours – unlock it with a specialised life coaching program!

Hypnotherapy: Is your subconscious mind holding you back from seeing through your New Year’s resolutions? Kick old habits and align your conscious and subconscious minds for a new you, with our hypnotherapy programs.

Weight loss programs: Did you know that we have a range of specialised weight loss programs, tailored to suit your individual needs? If you’ve been trying (and failing) to lose weight for years, make 2018 your year for success with one of our holistic weight loss programs.

We have a range of other services which could help you to achieve your 2018 New Year’s resolutions. If you’ve been struggling to reach your goals each year, let 2018 be the year that you finally realise your dreams. Sticking to your New Year’s resolutions can be tough – but it needn’t be! Connect with us today, to find out how we can make 2018 your best year yet!