6 Steps to Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions When Motivation Fades
6 Steps to Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions When Motivation Fades
Most all of us are familiar with the cycle of setting a New Year’s resolution or two, being super motivated and driven to achieve them throughout January and part of February, losing that spark by the middle or end of February, giving up on working towards said resolutions, and then completely forgetting about them until the following January. As we’ve written about in a previous blog, only 8% of people who make New Year’s resolutions actually achieve them successfully, and one of the biggest reasons is that people often set goals that are too vague or that are not realistic.
If you’re interested in learning about how to set a resolution that is almost guaranteed to be successful, read our recent blog. If after you’ve read it you still find yourself struggling to keep up the motivation, fear not. Below we discuss ways to ignite that motivation and keep at your goals when you’re just not feeling it. These suggestions are helpful not only for New Year’s resolutions but for any goals towards which you’re working.
Break your goals down into smaller sub-goals.
Let’s say your goal is to write a book. Sounds ambitious? It is. But think about how you can break that down into steps that seem more achievable, for example creating an outline, writing a page each week, or writing a chapter each month. You can set reasonable deadlines for yourself for completing these smaller goals. Before you know it, you’ll be closer to completing your overall goal.
Make it fun!
Working hard towards a goal doesn’t have to be all tedious. You can find a way to make your work more enjoyable so that you feel more driven to actually complete it. If working out is part of your goal, perhaps turn up the tunes and listen to some music as you break a sweat. Or maybe inviting some friends to exercise with you is just what you need to make your workout more fun, or perhaps joining a salsa class is more your speed. Focus on finding a way to get to your goal that you actually enjoy, think outside the box and what will work for you!
Get other people involved.
Speaking of inviting friends, telling other people about your goals and seeing if they want to get in on the fun can also help increase your motivation. Sharing your goals with others makes them more public in a sense, which in turn, can make you more likely to complete them. When others know about your goals, they can help keep you accountable and cheer you on and encourage you along the way. If they decide to participate in your resolution as well, you can also keep them accountable, which will also impel you to keep yourself accountable.
Celebrate your successes.
Each and every step you take towards accomplishing your goal, no matter how seemingly big or small, is significant. So celebrate them! Reward yourself anytime you reach a milestone. When you reward yourself, your brain releases dopamine— also known as the “feel good” neurotransmitter—which puts you in a better mood. What better way to motivate yourself than with some good old dopamine? Just make sure whatever rewards you’re using are appropriate. For example, if you’re aiming to improve your diet, rewarding yourself with a pint of cookie dough ice cream probably isn’t the best move. Maybe buy yourself some new clothes instead.
Allow yourself to take breaks.
People often fall into the trap of thinking that they always have to be doing something to work towards their goals. However, this kind of thinking can very easily lead to burnout and can take the fun out of the process. Taking time to do something that’s completely unrelated to your goal gives you a chance to rest and will allow you to be more productive when you’re ready to return to it. That’s why we have weekends and holidays from work and school.
Talk about your resolutions on Konversai.
Konversai is the world’s first global knowledge platform that allows for one-on-one live video conversations between anyone, anywhere, about anything. Its mission is to democratize knowledge, put the human connection back into technology, and make the world better by enabling meaningful and authentic conversations between people who may not have otherwise had the opportunity to interact. Whatever goals you’re looking to achieve, you’re sure to find someone on Konversai who can help you take the steps to work towards them—be it health and fitness, meal planning, publishing, language learning, traveling, career transitioning, or something else entirely. You could also use your own personal knowledge, skills, and experiences to help others work towards their goals, and you even have the option of charging as much money as you wanted to for these sessions. Any and all knowledge, skills, and experiences have a place on Konversai—there is no topic too mundane or too obscure.
The most important thing to remember when working towards your resolutions is to just keep going. Konversai user and life coach Lisa Foreman says, “All we can expect from ourselves it to keep moving forward. Sometimes we run, and sometimes we just inch forward. Either is good.” No matter how big or small, progress is progress, and every step you complete is one step closer to accomplishing your goal.
Written by: Pavita Singh
