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4 Tips To Achieve Your New Year’s Goals

By January 9, 2023January 10th, 2023No Comments
4 tips to achieve your new years goals

Every new year, millions of people decide they want to set and achieve some New Year’s goals. In fact, 38% of US adults undertake New Year’s resolutions. Goals are a great way to accomplish tasks and improve in various areas of our lives. People often want to get healthier, exercise more frequently, visit a specific place, earn a certification or learn a new skill, etc. Unfortunately, most that set New Year’s goals give up on them. Only 9% of people are successful at keeping their New Year’s resolutions and 43% give up by the month of February.¹ 

Why Do We Give Up On Our Goals?

There are several reasons we give up on our goals. We lose motivation, life gets busy, and we start to focus on other things. Goals require commitment, time, effort, and resources. As time goes on, and we don’t see progress, or it is a very slow-going process, this can become demotivating. A person will start to wonder if pursuing the goal is really worth the effort and time that is being given toward it. 

For example, a person wants to lose 30 pounds, so they set a goal to do so. They start the New Year with gusto, sign up for a gym membership, and investigate various diets. The first week starts off strong, and the individual is able to hit the gym several days in a row. They’re eating salads and cutting out sugar and junk food. They start to feel better, but when they get on the scale after a week of really trying, the scale has only gone down a couple of pounds. When thinking about the end goal of 30 pounds, it can seem like it will take forever to reach the goal. Work and life pile up, the individual gets tired, and getting up extra early to go to the gym starts to wear on them. When they hang out with their friends and co-workers, treats are brought into the picture, and it becomes harder to say no. Not to mention their family is on a completely different diet. Eventually, the individual determines that it’s too difficult, and they go back to their old lifestyle. So, what are some ways that an individual can set themselves up for success? 

Success Tip #1 – Set Achievable, Meaningful Goals

When setting goals, ask yourself, “Why do I want to achieve this goal?” Is this goal for me or someone else? What is my motivation behind the goal? How important is it that I accomplish this goal? 

It is important that the goal is meaningful, specifically to YOU. Otherwise, the motivation to continue forward with it will diminish quickly. Next, it is vital that the goal is realistic and achievable. Goals are meant to help us become better and grow. Setting a goal that is not realistic will cause frustration and do the opposite of what a goal is designed to do. 

Success Tip #2 – Establish An Accountability Partner  

The next step to achieving a goal is to establish an accountability partner. An accountability partner is someone that you can share your goal and vision with. Explain to them why it is important to you and establish a method that you can communicate with them on a regular basis. Check in with them and let them know what type of progress you are making. If you’re about to break the goal or are having a hard time staying on track, then contact them and have them help you reignite your motivation. 

Success Tip #3 – Track Your Progress

Attainable and measurable goals lead to success. It is important to be able to measure and track the type of success you are having as you work towards your goal. If the goal is a short term goal, this is something you want to achieve in the near future whether that be the next week, month, or year. There are several ways to track goal progress, depending on what the goal is. Progress can be tracked via an app, a calendar, or simply writing down progress in a notebook. Regardless of the method, it is important to be consistent about tracking the progress. Advancements should be tracked at least on a weekly basis. 

Success Tip #4 – Keep Trying, Even If You Take A Step Back

Starting a goal can be intimidating. Feeling like you’ve failed can be frustrating. It is common for people to give up if they make a mistake or take a step back. However, mishaps just happen sometimes. This does not mean that you should give up completely. The best way to recover is to acknowledge the setback, dust yourself off, and start again!

Achieve Your Goals In 2023

Setting goals is good and healthy and helps people to strive to become better in their lives and situations. Remember to set goals that are meaningful and important to you. Establish an accountability partner with a trustworthy family member or friend. Figure out a way to measure and track your progress. Lastly, don’t give up! Pick yourself back up after a setback. Over time, you will accomplish your goals and feel great about your achievements.

References

Inc. (2022). Studies Show 91 Percent of Us Won’t Achieve Our New Year’s Resolutions. Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/studies-show-91-percent-of-us-wont-achieve-our-new-years-resolutions-how-to-be-9-percent-that-do.html

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