New Year, Old You

We are now three weeks into January and, for those of you who make New Year’s resolutions, this is a good time to take a second look at your goals for 2018. Whether you’re worried about making it to February or you gave up on day two, give yourself a chance to re-evaluate your resolutions. Ask yourself why you failed. Is your goal realistic and sustainable? Make whatever adjustments you need to and recommit with a plan. Here are five ways to help you get back on track and stick to your New Year’s resolutions in 2018.

Share your resolution on social media.

By making a public declaration to your friends and family, you are inviting them to help by holding you accountable. Knowing that anyone you know on Facebook could, at any time, ask you how your resolution is going may give you the incentive you need to follow through. You could even start a blog to track your progress.

Tell the truth.

If someone asks you if you have stuck with your New Year’s resolution and you know you haven’t, be honest. If you lie, you will probably get away with it. No one will ever know, and you will lose the impression of complicity that telling them once fortified you with.

Reward yourself.

Use positive reinforcement to train yourself into believing that sticking to your resolutions will benefit you, even when it doesn’t feel like it. Pick a reward and set milestones that will help you stay on track.

Start small.

If your goal seems overwhelming, take it one step at a time and build on that. You do not have to change your lifestyle overnight just because you have a new calendar. It’s okay to phase out negative influences and introduce positive ones at your own pace.

Change your passwords.

This is probably a good idea to do anyway, but you can use it as an opportunity to make your resolution stick in your head. Change whichever password you use most often to reflect the change you want to make this year and you will be reminded of your goal every time you open your laptop or log into Facebook.