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As the New Year gets started, many of us will make (and most likely fail to follow through with) our annual New Year’s resolutions. While setting well-intentioned goals to make positive changes in our lives is admirable, it becomes meaningful only when those changes become reality. Employing some basic strategies into your resolutions this year can help increase the chances you achieve your goals and start the new year off right.

Change is hard, especially considering how much life can take out of you as you do your best just to take care of basic needs for yourself and your loved ones. Waking up early to exercise or preparing healthy home-cooked meals to try to lose weight can quickly fall to the wayside as more urgent priorities compete for your free time. Without a clear idea of how and why you can achieve your goals while maintaining balance in your life, the likelihood of achieving your goals can suffer.

Little Changes Lead to Big Wins

When setting out to make significant changes in your life, realistic expectations and the ability to be patient as things play out are essential. Focusing on the process of change instead of the end result can prevent you from getting discouraged and quitting before you see any benefits.

The ability to focus on the big picture is a prerequisite to achieving lasting change. If your goal is to lose 30 pounds, you may be discouraged when you’ve only lost three pounds after a month of eating healthy and exercising and may feel like the amount of effort expended to lose that weight just isn’t worth the effort. Perhaps you would be more encouraged if you framed your thinking positively, celebrating accomplishing ten percent of your weight-loss goal in a month instead of focusing on the pounds you have left to lose.

Setting small achievable goals along the way can help you stay on track towards meeting larger goals. If you commit to eating a salad for lunch or going to the gym three times a week, you can shift your focus from the end result to decisions that you have complete control over. Set daily and weekly goals that are attainable instead of worrying about your end goal to maintain a successful mindset.

Set Yourself Up For Success

Your attitude towards change will influence your results. Staying positive will allow you to stay motivated as you integrate new habits and persevere through the inevitable challenges that will arise. Using motivating language to describe the benefits of what you’re working towards is a technique that can transform a seemingly undesirable task into one that you look forward to accomplishing on your way to a better you.

Much of life is spent putting the needs of others above your own, especially if you have children or aging family members. Setting New Year’s resolutions is an opportunity to focus on improving yourself. If you’re concerned that this makes you a selfish person, keep in mind that improving yourself and your life will almost certainly improve the lives of those closest to you as well.

See The Change In Yourself

Routine is an essential component to achieving long-term change, but it takes some time to establish a new habit into your life. Setting aside a few moments every day to focus on your goals can help integrate them into your daily routine. Successful people often mentally picture achieving their goals before they even set out to accomplish them. The following practices can condition your mind to accept that positive changes are inevitable and success is inevitable.

• Create positive affirmations about future accomplishments and read them aloud every day. Make specific statements about what you intend to do and read them to yourself every morning until you believe in yourself.

• Visualize the change you want to be and picture yourself reaching your goals. If you’re trying to improve your health, imagine yourself slimmer and more active. If you want to break a bad habit, create a mental picture of yourself taking a walk or taking some deep breaths when an unhealthy urge arises. Thoughts often become reality.

• As you work to achieve your goals, think about the things you are thankful for in your life and appreciate all you have accomplished to this point. Remind yourself of what you have already achieved with the same hard work and perseverance that will help you accomplish new goals.

A new year brings the excitement of a fresh start and the promise of better things to come. Make sure you give yourself the best chance to become the best you can be in 2020 and beyond!