New Years is a time the present self and future self become entrusting friends in an interdependent relationship– the present self determines a beneficinary goal for the future self, and then trusts the future self to follow through. Sounds simple.
The great thing about New Years is that it is the one time in the year that encourages a mass number of people to slow down, reflect, and then speed up again with a new of set goals. But, promises are only great if they are kept. As February and March roll around, eventually the present self typically becomes distracted with everyday life: when it comes to New Years resolutions– it unfortunately lets the future self down.
I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time sticking with my long list 
of resolutions. I write down a list of goals, but never look at the paper again. How can I ensure the “resolution” pact from January is still implemented next December? I started to look for ways to stay disciplined in sticking with resoultuions. Here are a few tips I found:
1. “Make only 1-3 manageable goals.” When I made New Years resolution lists, I found myself covering half a page to an entire page of paper with dreams. On Jan 1st, I wrote down everything I wanted to change. Trying to do them all spread my focus thin. I clearly “bit off more than I could chew,” and rather than getting all of my goals done, I ended up with too many projects left unattended. It was a little discouraging. Instead of creating long list of everything you want in the new year, only focus on one or two life changes.
2. “Speak your dreams into existence”– Be picky with your words. Notice your words, and notice your thoughts. When you say words, it helps move thoughts into action. If you constantly speak your dreams, they become more of your conscious reality.
3. “Share your goals with others”– 2 years ago, I started to tell people that I was going to travel Asia in 2012. I stated it as a fact when telling close people. Simply telling others helped hold me accountable to my dreams. People would ask me how my planning was going, and it constantly reminded me about my trip to Asia. The more I shared, the more determined I was to make it happen. This year, I have already prepared myself to take that journey. Next stop–India.
4. “Celebrate even the smallest successes”– Often times, achieving a goal can take a long time. It is easy to get discouraged if your only measure of success is the final product. It may take months or even years to see all your hard work paying off. Along the way, we can easily overlook the necessary steps we took to achieve the goal. We must make sure we are conscious of those steps and celebrate when they go well. Every morning, just take a cup of gratitude before you continue the journey towards your goal. It can make all the difference and help sustain endurance.
5. “Just admit to yourself from the beginning—slipping up once in a while should be highly expected—but giving up is not an option.” —Sometimes we set goals with absolutes: “I am NEVER going to….” or “I will ALWAYS……” The problem with this is that once we invade that absolute and inevitably slip, we become discouraged. We feel that we already failed to achieve our goal, and we can give up all together. But once we allow ourselves room for expected mistakes, we are more graceful with ourself. Just start again. Training your habits is like training a dog. Just keep doing it. Period.
Happy New Year!
