Hit a Wall? How to Recommit to Those Resolutions
March 5, 2018
Remember how pumped you were on January 1st to start your new life and demolish those resolutions? New year, new you, right? Now that it’s March, how’s it going? If you’re still going strong, keep up the good work! If not, don’t feel discouraged. You can still crush your goals! Here are some tips for recommitting to those resolutions.
Forgive Yourself
If you had this perfect vision in your head of easily giving up smoking or losing weight you might be beating yourself up pretty hard right now if things haven’t gone as planned. Even if you’ve failed spectacularly, it won’t help to be too hard on yourself.
Remember that you’ve had certain behaviors for a long time and you can’t expect to reverse them in a day. It will take time and you will have setbacks so, in the meantime, be kind to yourself.
Have Perspective
You expected to change your life completely on January 1st and it didn’t go as planned. What does that really mean? Should the rest of the year be considered a loss because your efforts failed during a specific time period?
There is no “right time” to make a change. Maybe you lost a few weeks towards reaching your goal but that’s better than not getting there at all. Remember your long-term vision and stop letting short-term missteps trip you up. You’ve got this.
Reassess Your Goal
What is it that you really want to accomplish? Is it realistic? How can you get there and what’s holding you back? For example, if you want to drop four dress sizes in two weeks, you might be setting yourself up for failure and disappointment.
Figure out your real goal and ask yourself if you’re okay with getting there on a long and winding road instead of a short, direct sprint. Yes, we live in a time where we all want instant gratification but that might be what caused your problems to begin with. Be patient and chip away at your success one day at a time.
Be Accountable
Keep yourself on track by finding ways to be accountable. This could be as easy as creating a dedicated page or account on social media where you share your journey. Invite supportive people to follow along since their encouragement could get you through the tough times.
Also, keep a journal of some sort. Write down how you’re feeling from day-to-day and document any relevant behaviors (a food diary for weight loss, for example). Not only will it feel good to have an outlet but it may also help you identify any negative patterns that need to be addressed.
Start Over Again… and Again
As the saying goes, if all else fails, try, try again. It’s unrealistic to expect success the first time you try something new and you also can’t expect yourself to never make a mistake. If you’ve veered off course, gently get back on the right track. If you trip up again, do the same thing. Over and over.
This is how you build endurance, perseverance, and stamina. When you face challenges, accept the setback, throw a (small) pity party if you need to, and then get back to work. Never lose sight of your goal, and let your determination guide you through the tough times.
It might be March (or May or August) and you’re not where you wanted to be when the clock struck midnight to begin a new year, but that doesn’t mean you should give up. Recommit to those goals and celebrate every victory. You will be so proud of yourself when you cross that finish line.
