New Year’s Resolutions with a Twist

lady happily running outdoors

Have you promised yourself that this is the year you will start eating better, clean your garage, or save money? How many times have you set a New Year’s Resolution that hasn’t worked out?

Here are some of the common reasons with Year’s resolutions don’t stick:

  • Goals may be too big or unmanageable
  • Goals may focus on the end result (eg. weight loss) instead of how to get there
  • All-or-nothing thinking – either we’ve succeeded, or we’ve completely failed!
  • We may lose sight of why our goals are important

If any of this sounds familiar, read on for a more effective and encouraging way to tackle goal setting:

  1. Try setting an intention, or theme, for your goals. This gives your goals direction and purpose. Eg) Be healthier/have more energy.
  1. Identify what actions you can take to help you live a life that is consistent with your theme. Eg) Start running.
  1. Set a SMART goal – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time Sensitive. This will give your actions detail and focus. Eg) Run 3 times per week for at least 30 minutes.
  1. Add a grey area. Prevent all-or-nothing thinking by giving yourself a range of successes. A 0-3 point scale may be helpful.

Eg) 3 points – run 3 times per week for 30 minutes

2 points – run 2 times per week for 30 minutes

1 point – run 1 time per week for any length of time

0 points – no running at all 

  1. Track your progress. See the ebbs and flows in success over the days, weeks, or months. Appreciate your progress without the need to be perfect.
  1. Create a check-in point. Check-in points offer a chance to pause, evaluate progress, and make modifications to goals to ensure they are manageable and effective. At this point, you may choose to continue your current SMART goal, increase or decrease the difficulty, or try a new goal altogether! Eg) Run 3 times per week for 30 minutes for 1 month, then re-evaluate. If it’s not working for me right now, what could I do differently next month?

Lifestyle changes take time, practice, and continuous re-evaluation. At Eviva, we are here to support you in reaching your goals.