The new year is a great time to set new goals for yourself. Call it a New Year’s resolution, a goal, whatever you want, but one thing is certain: 80% of people fail or give up on their goals by February.
FEBRUARY!!!
That’s only 31 days of commitment…
It’s honestly pretty disheartening. Makes you want to not even bother with it because you don’t want to fail. Fear not, though, because I’ve got some handy tips to help make those resolutions stick!
Don’t wait to start
We’ve all heard it (or maybe even said it) many times… “I’ll start on Monday.” I’m here to tell you DON’T WAIT!!! It’s a huge disservice to yourself to keep putting off the start of reaching your goals.
If they were important enough for you to want to achieve them, then they should be important enough for you to start ASAP.
Make your goals SMART
Heard of this acronym before? It stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. Following this rule is a very quick and easy way to tell if your goals are going to be something you can stick with or not.
It’s the rule of thumb I follow with every goal that I set for myself!
Start small
Make your goals something you can stick with. You can always set new and bigger ones along the way!
If your goal is to exercise more, make a plan to workout 3 days per week (instead of trying for 5+). If you want to eat healthier, start with replacing your usual dessert of ice cream with some healthier fruit (rather than trying to revamp your entire daily menu).
Change one habit at a time
This is where so many people make a mistake. You try to change so much that it gets overwhelming and you throw in towel. Setting a goal to live a healthier lifestyle is too broad.
A better way to go about it would be eating more vegetables or going to the gym consistently instead of trying to change too much at once.
Create accountability
I’m sure that accountability is the one missing ingredient in your quest to achieve your goals. It’s one of the biggest struggles that people face. In fact, it’s one of the most common reasons people give for hiring a personal trainer: they don’t have the accountability to go on their own.
So set check-in dates for yourself where you can look back on the progress you’ve made and reevaluate if need be.
Talk about it
The worst thing you can do for yourself is to keep your goals hidden and to yourself. Putting them out into the universe is a great way to really commit to them. Even better is filling your loved ones in on them as well.
Who knows, someone you know may want to work on the same thing! And having a partner in the process can make things so much easier.
Post it somewhere
At my husband’s gym, one of the first things we do with new members is have them determine a 3-month goal for themselves. Then we have them fill out their own vision card and encourage them to put it on their fridge or bathroom mirror.
A daily reminder about the goal you’re trying to hit can help you not forget about it. You can even write WHY you’re doing it to give yourself even more motivation to keep pushing.
Don’t beat yourself up
Okay, this is incredibly important. PLEASE don’t give yourself a hard time if you slip up or feel like you’ve failed. Perfection is unattainable! Everyone has times when they veer off from their goals.
The most important thing is that you get back up and keep going. Sometimes you have to chalk a given day/week/month up to a loss and start anew… and a THAT’S OKAY!
Reward and punishment
While you shouldn’t beat yourself up for small setbacks, you should still have a system of rewards and punishments set up for yourself. Checks and balances are very important.
Personally, I deprive myself of my favorite ice cream on the weekends when I haven’t met my water drinking goal at least 5/7 days that week. It may seem silly, but that promise of sweet sweet Ben & Jerry’s kicks my butt into water drinking gear all week long.
Live for the future
So many people get caught up in how hard sticking to a resolution is in that moment. But what you really need to do is think about how it will affect your future. Remind yourself about why you’re doing what you’re doing, and how it’s going to benefit you in the future.
Whenever I want to throw in the towel on my health and fitness goals I remind myself that I want to be around for my daughter for as long as possible. It instantly keeps me in check and pushes me to keep going.
So whether you’re wanting to get on a regular exercise routine, devote more time to growing your business, or even just follow a cleaning schedule for your home use these tips to stick to your goals.
Don’t let yourself be part of the 80% that give up… because you got this! Now go have a kick a** 2018!
Meet the Featured Mommy
Jordyn D’Arco is the author behind the Kettlebells & Kids blog and is also a wife, mother, and fitness fanatic. She strives to help women live their healthiest lives. When she’s not helping her husband at his gym, she can be found listening to true crime podcasts while drinking coffee. 
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The Featured Mommy is a bi-weekly special feature on mommies around the world. Want to be featured? Click here for more information.
