How To: Stick to Your 2015 Resolutions

By Jocelyn Harvey

Well, it appears we’ve galloped into 2015! With the pace of things, how have you been going with keeping your New Year’s resolutions? Often creating the time, space and commitment to making change is the challenging part. If in the past you’ve had trouble keeping resolutions, then 2015 might be the year you can say that you’ve successfully achieved your goals. Here are seven great tips to ensure you stick to your resolutions, and create real and positive change for yourself.

There is something very powerful about the process of thinking about your resolutions, and then writing them down on paper. Write down your goals using different colours and symbols to appeal to your creative and intuitive side. Seeing it written in your own handwriting triggers a sense of ownership and accountability to yourself. Once you’ve created your resolution list or artwork, be sure to place it where you can see it every day. If you read your resolution statements before you go to sleep and when you wake up, you are more likely to retain focus.

A common mistake when making resolutions is making one broad sweeping statement, which can be difficult to follow. But don’t fret! By simplifying your statements and pinpointing specific behaviours and actions, you can make it easier for yourself to reach your goal. For instance, you may say: “I want to be better at my job”. This statement may sound good at first, but when you think about it, there are lots of ways to do it. Having too many options in carrying out a resolution be confusing or overwhelming.

The best way to achieve goals is by breaking them down into stepping-stones, or a series of smaller goals. You are less likely to feel overwhelmed by monitoring your progress against mini-goals, and it’s easier to make small adjustments as needed. This also sets you up for success, and you can celebrate the small milestones along the way to help keep you motivated.

A schedule for accomplishing each resolution helps to keep you in check throughout the year. A good way to do this is to set monthly or even weekly goals. Through this, you can be aware of your deadline for each aim, and know just how much effort you’ll need to exert in order to reach that goal on time.

A little encouragement from friends and family goes a long way in helping you keep your resolutions. If the people around you know that you are intent on keeping a particular resolution, they can remind you or even help you as you go along. Be sure to ask for support, and be clear about how and when you would like to receive it. If you share the same resolutions, you can do activities together such as a attending a personal development course, or eating the same meal together 2-3 nights a week.

If you find that old, limiting beliefs are coming back to haunt you, consciously become an observer and ubiquitously take note of your emotions and behaviour. This helps you to remove yourself from the ‘story’, and you are more likely to be able to stay in power. Visualise yourself connecting with your higher-self or guardian angels, and ask them for encouragement, support and guidance to help you reconnect with your power and courage. Simply see fear as a precursor to letting go of a part of your identity that no longer serves you.

Everyone makes mistakes and has lapses. But blunders along the way shouldn’t discourage you from following through on your resolutions. Even if you’ve failed to reach your goal in the first few months, every single day is a new day and a new beginning. Learn to compromise, and keep each objective as realistic as possible. Remember, you made these resolutions in order to enrich and improve your life, and because they were important to you. Always bear in mind that each small step you take matters.