New Year, New You?

New Year, New You?

Happy New Year! I hope that your time of holidays, celebrations, and new beginnings were filled with joy and happy memories. As it always seems to be, the year is off to a quick start. As we rush into 2024, it can be a time of reflection and hope. Now is a time to think about what all you have done, from relationships, to work. I think that you’ll come to see how much you have grown and accomplished over the course of the past year.

New Year’s Resolutions are a great way to start the year off on the right foot, but they are certainly not a necessity. However, if you do want to start a resolution then it is good to keep a few things in mind in order to help promote success for the entire year.

We’ve all been there. We set a resolution only to falter on our promise to go to the gym every single morning two weeks into the new year. This often has to do with our support systems, the size of our goal, or even the motivation behind it. All of those things and more can greatly impact our ability to be successful in creating new goals. Being a bit into the new year is certainly not too late to create these new goals and resolutions, and it might even be a better time to do it as we have settled into the new year and gotten past all of the major festivities and stress.

Here are some tips for setting and keeping up with strong New Year’s resolutions!

1. Support System: Having a strong support system is very important in goal setting year-round. If the people around you aren’t on board, then it can greatly impact your ability to succeed. That’s not to say that you can’t achieve your goal, it just might be a little bit harder. For example, if you and your partner share the same habits, and you want to change things up, taking your partner along for the ride will increase the likelihood of success astronomically.

2. Goal Size: The size of your goals is also a major factor in how successful you are in achieving them. There is absolutely nothing wrong with setting big goals for your year, but you mustn’t stop there. Break up this big goal into smaller checkpoints. You don’t read the whole book at once, you go a chapter at a time. It is much more encouraging to check off boxes throughout the year – week by week, month by month – than it is to stare at an intimidating goal months down the road. You could even ask your therapist to help work out a plan – which I highly recommend.

3. Motivation: Lastly, and most importantly, is the motivation behind your goal. For the key to your success, I recommend that the goal you make is for YOU. Not for anyone other than yourself, even if it involves other people or relationships, how YOU grow and change is important to keep in mind. Remember that you are the person that you spend the most time with, and having a goal that increases the quality of your life in some aspect or another is a way you can motivate yourself. For example, instead of saying I need to give up or cut back on that because my doctor says I have to, find another deeper reason. It could mean a happier you with a clearer mind.

Ultimately, the things you focus on and prioritize throughout the year can change,

grow, and shrink in importance as we change our situations. Cherish the time you have with your friends and family. Revel in your successes and learn from your mistakes. And remember to notice, and appreciate even the smallest of things. If you do all that, you are set for a great 2024!

Happy New Year!