Maintaining your New Year’s Resolutions
It’s a new year, so, what does that mean? A new mindset, new intentions, and most importantly, new goals. Even though January is almost over, it is never too late to set goals for yourself. I know as the year goes on, we tend to lose sight of our goals due to distractions and lack of motivation. I am guilty of this as well. One thing I learned in 2020 is how to structure my goals in a way to stay motivated and keep my eyes focused on what I am trying to achieve! One way I do this is by setting small, practical, and attainable goals that are easy to achieve. Of course, I have my goals for the year as a whole, but this year, I am focusing more on monthly goals. The way I am structuring these goals is helping me achieve my yearly goals. I will give some examples. Some of my goals for the year as a whole are to grow closer to the Lord, run the St. Jude half marathon in December, read 12 books, and grow stronger mentally and physically! All of these are fully attainable and practical, but they are large goals that come across as very overwhelming if not broken down.
So, for January, my goals are to pray every day, run 12 miles a week, read 1 book, work on increasing my weight in the gym, and walk 3 times a week! All of these play a role in achieving my goals for the year. At the end of the month, I will do a mental check-in, and see what I need to adjust and what I want to add as I transition into February. For me, this helps me not put so much pressure on myself. Achieving little goals will help you stay motivated to achieve your long-term goals.
One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give when doing this is to create goals that are for you and for you only. You will never get anywhere if you are only motivated by the people around you. Your motivation can only come from within. Also, I encourage you to write your goals down. Seeing your goals on paper will help you stay organized and know exactly what you are trying to achieve. You can do ANYTHING you set your mind to, but you do not have to put a lot of pressure on yourself to do it. Like I said, it’s a New Year and that means setting new goals, so what are your goals for 2021?
