For over 4,000 years (starting with the Babylonians), humans have been making New Year’s Resolutions. And for over 4,000 years, a lot of humans have beaten themselves up when they weren’t able to succeed at their New Year’s resolution(s). A recent study showed that around 46% of Americans make resolutions at the beginning of the year and by 6 months, only 6% of them have kept to their resolution.

So, is there a point to making New Year’s Resolutions?

Yes! 

Making resolutions is a sign of hope and can be a healthy challenge to reach a goal. When you make a New Year’s Resolution, you’ve given yourself the motivation to better yourself, to have a fresh start, and you’ve shown proof that you believe in yourself. 

The key to keeping that confidence in yourself is through these tips by the Aspect team for meeting your New Year’s Resolutions.

1. Be real(istic)

Set yourself up for success by choosing resolutions that are within your reach. 

Most people make resolutions about physical health, such as weight loss. Instead of a goal of losing 25 pounds in six months, aim for a more realistic goal of losing one pound every month; even though it may be a smaller goal than what you had originally set out to do, it’s realistic and will keep you working on your resolutions a lot longer.

2. Break It Down 

Rather than one big resolution goal, break it down into attainable steps you can reach throughout the year.

3. Choose One New Year’s Resolution

Make the beginning of a new year a time to evaluate what matters most to you and choose the most important resolution to work towards achieving in the New Year. 

4. Reward Your Successes

Celebrate your successes! Both the big and the small successes are worth acknowledgment in a way that keeps you motivated to continue.

5. Gather Support

Ask a friend or two to be your resolution accountability buddies. Get the support of your friends or co-workers who believe in you and keep you motivated.

6. Talk About It… A Lot 

Get excited about your resolution. Talk about it... A lot. Tell your best friend, your co-workers, your family. Keep it fresh and in your mind by discussing it with others frequently

7. Visualize Your Goals

For some, visualizing your goals may be literally writing them down and pasting notes for yourself at home or creating a vision board that you keep at the office or at home. For others, it may be daily meditation intertwined with visualization that helps you stay forward-thinking. 

8. Be Gentle with Yourself

At the end of the day, by making a New Year’s resolution, you’ve already achieved something that half of Americans have not. But you have to remember, you’re human, and you’ll make mistakes. And when that happens, remember to be gentle with yourself and do not let it stop you from making progress. Take it as a learning opportunity, not as a quitting stage.

With these tips, you'll be sure to meet your goals. 

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