If your New Year’s resolutions are long forgotten, here’s how you can check-in and get back on track. July is a great month to re-evaluate and make mid-year resolutions to end the year well.
Use Hindsight to Reframe
The 27 resolutions you created in January might have been a bit ambitious. There was peer pressure involved, bitterness from the previous year, and an overwhelming sense of starting over. Hopefully, you tried putting a few resolutions into play in January. What did you learn? Did you learn that you do not have a green thumb and will not be growing your own herbs and vegetables? Now could be a good time to look at taking a class or joining a community garden where you are surrounded by experts who will share their knowledge. Or perhaps you can simply have a deeper appreciation for the beautiful greens at the grocery store and farmer’s market and move on to your next resolution. It is ok to reframe your resolutions to make them work for you. These are your goals after all, so they should serve you and your needs.
Focus
Often, we bite off more than we can chew when it comes to making resolutions. We want to lose 100 pounds, start a new job, buy a bigger house, and get into a new relationship, all during the month of January. Those are noble goals, but trying to tackle them all at once is potentially a losing proposition. Start with one goal at a time. You want to set yourself up for success and let’s be honest, there are only so many hours in the day. Focus on your most pressing desire first. Once you get in a good place with your initial resolution, then look at taking on another resolution. You may also find that your confidence will grow as you accomplish more. Resolutions three and four might come a little easier after having a little experience and a few wins. And often when you change one piece of your life, the rest starts to shift a bit more effortlessly.
Break Your Resolutions Into Smaller Pieces
You may want to run a marathon someday but if you are new to exercise, this might be a big challenge. Instead of throwing in the towel, break your resolution into smaller pieces. The first step could be just taking a 20-minute walk three times a week. Once you’re comfortable with that, escalate the time and distance until you’re signing up for your first 5k run. Thinking big can be very inspiring, but it can also be equally overwhelming. Small but steady steps can also get you closer to your goal in less time.
Play to Your Strengths and Adapt
Was one of your resolutions to eat healthier this year? If you don’t have a knack for cooking then perhaps you want to look at inexpensive meal delivery services so you can stay healthy while focusing on your other strengths. If one of your resolutions was to play professional tennis, but you have two left feet and no eye-hand coordination, then refocus your intention. That doesn’t mean you can’t play tennis. Hire a good coach, take group lessons, and have fun. Simply enjoying something for the sake of having a good time can be rewarding.
Persevere
Starting something new is hard. It takes time, work, and dedication. You are going to hit some obstacles, but you have to want it enough to keep going. Trust the process. If you’re following the steps above, but still not seeing progress, then it could be helpful to hire a trained coach. A coach can see your blind spots and hold you accountable for your goals and help move your forward.
