Top 10 Ways to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

Resolution = a firm decision to do or not to do something.

Almost everyone makes resolutions as we embark into the new year. These include personal goals, financial goals and dreams you’re pushing yourself to finally go after. Then for those of us who are entrepreneurs, those resolutions also include goals for your business.

So how do you keep your resolutions? Here are 10 of the top ways to help you achieve that:

1. Keep it real. As you’re creating your resolutions for this upcoming year, make sure that they’re realistic. You can’t expect yourself to achieve something that’s near impossible. If you have a long term goal in mind, take a part of that and make it a resolution for this upcoming year.

2. Make it a part of your daily routine. Most resolutions fall to the wayside because they’re just thoughts people have during the joyous celebration of the holiday season. Once we’re back into the day-to-day, if your resolutions are not a part of it, they’ll end up on the “when I can get to it list.” We all know how well those lists work out! So break down your resolutions into attainable pieces and fit those into your daily or weekly schedule.

3. Do it with a partner. When you have someone to hold you accountable it makes a world of difference! Find someone who has the same resolution as you and work together to achieve it. Or, if it’s something you prefer to do on your own, find someone you can use to check-in with, to share your struggles and successes. Perhaps you can do the same for them! This will make a huge difference in your outcome.

4. Write it down where you can easily view it. Out of sight = out of mind. If your resolutions are in your face, you’re less likely to forget about them. You could put them on something you see every morning, or view once a week. You could write them on sticky notes you place around your home, office, or studio, or on wipe off boards as little reminders. Get creative with it!

5. Set benchmarks for yourself. Resolutions can often be big goals. It’s hard to get from A-Z, without recognizing the successful steps along the way. Create milestones that you can work toward so you can feel accomplished as you complete them.

6. Keep a log of your progress. For example, if your resolution is to workout for 20 minutes a day, keep a log each day of how long you exercised for and what you did. If your resolution is to reach a certain amount financially for your business, by the end of this next year, log it all in a calendar, or on a spreadsheet, as I learned from fellow voice talent Liz de Nesnera. This way you can easily tally up the totals of what you’ve earned each week, with a running annual total. You’ll always be able to see how much you’ve earned to date and if you’re on track to reach that goal by the end of the year. Tracking your progress should be a fun task, something you feel great about. If it becomes daunting, it’ll make the resolution harder to stick to, so adjust this as needed to keep yourself motivated and on track.

7. Create small rewards for yourself along the way. Who doesn’t like to be rewarded for their success? What better way to keep yourself on the right track, then to celebrate your achievements along the way. Plan out some rewards ahead of time, so you have something to work toward, but don’t hesitate to throw in rewards as you go too. You should be proud that you’re sticking to your resolutions!

8. Identify the potential pitfalls before you begin. If you know ahead of time where you may struggle to keep these resolutions, try to address those points before you begin. The more in control of the situation you are as you’re doing it, the easier it will be to get through those difficult steps.

9. Share your successful steps with others. Thanks to social media, you don’t have to look far for a cheering committee! There’s a reason they have cheerleaders in sports, the big hurrays, supportive comments, social media “likes” and shares are almost a necessity when working toward a long term goal. It’s easy to get in your own head sometimes, but don’t ever think that you’re alone. You have an entire community of people that love and support you.

10. Don’t quit. This is obvious in order to keep your resolutions, but also incredibly important to point out. You can’t achieve something, if you give up! Before you find yourself even contemplating throwing in the towel, go back and review 1-9 and make the needed changes to stay on track. You made those resolutions for a reason. Believe in yourself that you can achieve them. There is nothing more powerful than the human spirit.

Make this next year, your best one yet!