We love celebrating the new year, and not just for the sake of popping champagne at midnight, but because it’s the perfect time to reflect on the things you accomplished in the past and setting goals for the upcoming year.
That being said, we’re big believers that how you set your goals is just as important as setting them. Often we set ourselves up for failure before we’ve even started by setting goals that are unrealistic for our own lifestyles, which can lead us to burnout by thinking we need to be an entirely new person come January 1.
When the inevitable motivation crash arrives it can be a blow to your self-esteem when you think you’ve given up on your goals so soon into the year. By switching the wording around in our New Years’ resolutions we also can switch our mindset around the goals to a positive one.
Below we’ve listed the five most common New Year’s resolutions and how they can be improved upon to set yourself up for success and a truly amazing year!
Common Resolution: Lose Weight
New Resolution: Become Stronger
Losing weight is the most common New Years’ resolution by far, which is completely understandable. We want to feel confident, and we might have a number in our head of what weight we think we would feel our best at. However, the numbers on the scale can be misleading as weight can fluctuate for any number of reasons, which can increase the frustration of the entire journey.
Instead, word your resolution in a way that helps you focus on a positive goal. Becoming stronger can mean something different to everyone so you should tie it to something tangible. Maybe it’s being able to not take a break during a plank song or completing a dance cardio routine, but using strength as a benchmark you will inspire yourself to take the actions that may have the byproduct of weight loss but the focus is off the scale.
Common Resolution: Eat Healthier
New Resolution: Eat Mindfully
Similar to losing weight, eating healthier is a resolution that is always set with good intentions but has the risk of being taken to an extreme and then forgotten. In January we tend to throw ourselves into overdrive only to reach mid-February and burn out on vegetables and green juices and give up completely. This cycle of restraining and binging is something many of us are familiar with and hope to avoid.
Instead of setting a goal that leads you into this common cycle, make it a goal to eat more mindfully. One good way to do this is to cook your own food a few times a week. By making something yourself, you become more aware of what is going into your dishes and your body which can help you make better choices overall while still enjoying the foods you love.
Common Resolution: Save More Money
New Resolution: Create and stick to a Budget
This is a really great goal that we think just deserves a little caveat. Many times we equate saving more money, to halting our spending, which can lead to cutting out things that bring us joy even when we don’t need to.
Make it a goal to review your finances and set a budget that allows you to keep in the things you love while cutting back on areas you can live without. If you’re a foodie and love eating from your favorite restaurants maybe leave that one in and switch out pricey cable for a good streaming service.
Common Resolution: Get Organized
New Resolution: Create a Morning Routine
Getting organized can be a HUGE task. Our lives are extremely busy and complex and organizing it all to perfection might take professional intervention. The key to not overwhelming yourself is to start by taking it one day at a time.
Creating a bulletproof morning routine can make a huge difference in how organized you feel. A good morning routine will set the tone for the entire day. Consider starting your day by drinking some hot lemon water and eating breakfast, getting in a little movement, and writing a to-do list for the day, but how you set up your morning routine is entirely up to you!
Check out our blog post for more ideas on how to optimize your morning routine.
Common Resolution: Master a New Skill or Hobby
New Resolution: Practice a New Skill or Hobby
This is a great example of an all-or-nothing resolution. You might want to play tennis this year or learn a new language, or instrument. In reality, these might take longer than a year to learn, and that’s okay!
Make it a goal to learn, practice, or further your abilities in a new skill or hobby and take a little pressure off yourself to be great at it right away. If it’s something you’re spending your free time on, it should be something you love the process of and not focus too much on the end goal.
