It’s the end of January. Which means for many of us we have officially failed to keep our New Year’s resolutions. But there is good news! Just because you weren’t as successful in January as you hoped to be, does not mean you have to give up!
Now is a great time to restart that resolution and reflect back over the past month on what did and didn’t work. Maybe working with a counselor or inner healing practitioner can help you really get your resolution back on track, or maybe you just need a reminder to sit down and actually get a game plan together for how you are going to keep your resolution.
Here are 5 tips to help you restart your resolution(s):
1. Reflect:
Spend some time thinking over the past month looking at what was going well with keeping your resolution, and what obstacles you faced that led to you not keeping it.
You may even reflect back over previous years and what’s worked or not worked for you in the past with making changes big or small. Was there a season of life when change was easier or at least successful? What was different about that season? Are there obstacles you seem to face over and over?
Has this past month been a typical month for you? Or has it been chaotic and not a good time to establish new habits?
2. Regroup:
Now that you’ve identified some obstacles, think about why they got the better of you and come up with some other ways to get around them.
Part of why those obstacles beat you this past month is that you didn’t see them coming, or didn’t realize how hard they would be to overcome. Now that you see them coming you can come up with better ways to handle them.
It could be that the season of life you’re in is just a season with more obstacles. If you’re already in the middle of a big change like a move, new job, new baby, new spouse, or anything else big and life changing, you may find that some resolutions are harder to keep right now.
It doesn’t mean you’ll never be able to make those changes, just that right now might be a harder time to make them.
3. Reaffirm:
Think back over why this resolution is important to you and write out what the benefits of keeping this resolution will be and what the consequences of not keeping it will be.
When you first made your resolution what got you excited about it? A new trend instead of resolutions is choosing a word or theme for the year. Is there a word that inspires you to move in the direction of your resolution?
Reaffirming isn’t about twisting your own arm into doing something you don’t really want to do. It’s about find that deep internal motivation that you need to encourage you through any obstacle you may face in reaching your goals.
4. Restart:
Now you are ready to go at it again! It may look differently that you originally planned, you may even adjust your resolution or scrap it and start over entirely, but you can do this!
Give yourself a fresh start! January was not a waste or a failure, January was a chance to really see how important this resolution is to you, the rest of the year is for making it happen.
Get people you trust to keep you accountable and go for it! It’s always easier to move with the momentum of others seeking the same goals. Even if you just have one other person to walk this journey with you, you’ll find it so much easier to succeed. Facebook groups, Bible studies, and a life coach are great sources of finding support.
Give yourself grace and get back at it!
5. Repeat:
There’s no guarantee you are going to instantly be better at keeping this resolution, so don’t give up if February doesn’t feel much better.
Making changes takes time and the bigger the change, the longer the time it is going to take to actually stick. So if you find yourself struggling to keep your resolution at the end of February too go back to to step 1 and reflect.
You can do this. You may need some help along the way, but what ever your resolution, it IS possible!
Free Restart Your Resolution Workbook
I’ve put together a workbook that will help coach you through restarting your resolution; to look at those resolutions and come up with a SMART goal and a plan for how to achieve it. Get it for free when you subscribe to my email newsletter below.