Good afternoon, YOWzers and welcome to 2022! While it has also been affectionately referred to as “2020, too”, a lot has changed in the last two years… and we think there is a lot to look forward to this year!
Once you’ve hit your COVID limit for the day and are desperately looking for any other topic of conversation, one theme that may be popping up these days is that of the New Year’s Resolution. Now, depending on which study you quickly google/only read the title/don’t check for reliable references… it seems like New Year’s Resolutions are commonly kept, but not so commonly successful. Whether you have made one (or more) resolutions this year, we have prepared a few ways to help you be successful.
1. Set a goal that you actually care about. Seems pretty straight forward… but if you find yourself latching onto a resolution that you are not that motivated to reach, well, it’s hard to remember the reasons why you’re doing it once the New Year’s glow starts to wear off.
2. Build off of past experiences. What have you already tried? What worked well for you? What didn’t?
3. Make gradual changes and build on them. Break bigger goals down into steps by creating sub-tasks along the way… and celebrate each “small” milestone along the way as well!
4. Be SMART. Yeah, you’ve probably heard of these “SMART” goals before… this refers to goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-sensitive.
5. Write down your goals. Being precise with our words can help establish intention and can be a helpful reminder when the February or March version of yourself is wondering “what’s the point?!”
6. Share your resolutions with others. If you want. Really, these are your resolutions, but if NP has taught us anything, it’s that a little accountability can go a long way. Also, bagels are excellent motivators. The idea isn’t necessarily to make you feel incredibly guilty if you are struggling with your goal, but to have a person or group of people that can support you through the tougher days, celebrate the wins, and perhaps provide you with helpful thoughts along the way.
7. Review your resolution regularly. Not only is that some nice alliteration, but the truth is that things change. Contexts change, expectations change, and we change. Don’t be afraid to review your goal(s) and adapt where it feels right. Depending on the size and timeframe of the goal, a daily, weekly or monthly check in can help us stay on track with smaller steps that ultimately lead to accomplishing longer term goals.
8. Allow room for mistakes and shortcomings. Finishing a task late, or not finishing it 100% is not a complete failure. Having a setback one day (or week) (or month) does not indicate a complete failure either. If there is a setback, try to understand what led to it so that you can avoid doing it again.
9. Be nice to yourself (just a general reminder that we could all use sometimes).
10. It seemed weird to stop at 9… so here’s number 10. Umm, pet more dogs. That should help.
There you have it, folks! Please feel free to share your resolutions in the comments below, as well as any helpful suggestions you have for us! Also, keep in mind that while January 1st is/was a swell time to make goals, so is Jan 10th, or Feb 27th, or April 13th… you get the idea. Starting a new year can feel like an optimal time to “start fresh” – and that’s great – but it doesn’t mean that you can’t make positive changes later in the year, too!
Did we mention… we’re glad you’re here?!
Sole-fully,
Rebecca & Becca
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Tune in next Wednesday at 6:30am for another awesome virtual workout led by Erin (she’s from the internet!). See November Project Ottawa or November Project WWW social media pages for the link to join!
- Join us for virtual coffee afterwards! (The coffee is real, the gathering is virtual)
- Pet a dog.
