Madison Kitchen

Let’s face it, it happens to the best of us: New Year's rolls around and we make that infamous commitment to go to the gym more or stop watching so much Netflix.  For the first few days, or maybe even the first few weeks, we keep up with it.  Then, we start to fall off the wagon.  We get too busy, or decide that the resolution just isn’t for us.  But the longer we fail at our resolution, the guiltier we feel.  Why didn’t we have the willpower to keep up with our goals?  I think it’s time to put the resolution failures behind us and find a way to meet our goals once and for all.  With just a few simple guidelines, I’ve unlocked a few ways to help you keep up with those pesky resolutions and stay proud of yourself.

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Pick Something Reasonable

This may seem obvious, but can be a difficult guideline to navigate.  The last thing you want to do when choosing your New Year’s resolution is set yourself up to fail.  If you are a major chocolate lover and decide that you’re going to try to quit chocolate cold turkey, you may find that you’re unable to keep that promise.  Instead of saying you’re going to cut something out completely, why not say that you’ll eat half the amount of chocolate that you normally do, or save it only for the weekends?  That way you’ll find yourself more likely to be successful with your resolution.

Pick Something You Can Measure

Beware of choosing something immeasurable for your resolution, because then you’ll struggle to know if you’re really succeeding at it.  If you decide that your resolution is to hang out with friends more often, perhaps you can phrase it in a different way so that you have a tangible goal to achieve.  For example, you might say that you’ll host a girls’ night once a month or always invite a new friend to go with you to Friday night happy hour.  The more measurable your goal, the more successful you’ll be in meeting it. 

Share Your Resolution

Once you’ve chosen your resolution, tell your friends!  Come up with a creative Instagram photo that expresses your goal in a creative way, or share a witty tweet or Facebook status describing what you’ll be trying to achieve for the next few months.  Once other people know, you’ll feel you’re held more accountable to your goals.  If you tell someone you’re going to go to the gym twice a week, you’re much more likely to go than if you debate with yourself about going.  You can even include your friends in your resolution if you’d like.  If you’re trying to shoot for healthier food choices, ask a friend to check out that new smoothie place down the street, or to come grocery shopping with you to help you pick out ingredients for a new recipe you’d both like to try.  They’ll be more than happy to help you, and may want you to help them, too! 

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The more measurable your goal, the more successful you’ll be in meeting it. 

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Find Positive Rewards

Don’t be afraid to congratulate yourself for succeeding at your resolution.  You don’t have to wait until you’ve ‘completed’ it to give yourself a pat on the back, either.  If you’re succeeding at your resolution, give yourself little rewards along the way!  A reward can mean anything—a new dress from your favorite store, seeing a movie with a friend, or even buying yourself a gift to help you continue your resolution.  If you decide that you’re going to stop buying that latte every morning before work and find that you’re doing a great job drinking coffee at home, maybe go out and treat yourself to a brand new French press so you can spruce up your morning brews. 

Believe In Yourself

This one’s important: the only person who can really make your resolution happen is you!  So have confidence that you can be successful.  With a positive mindset and a focus on your goal, your resolution won’t seem like a chore.


Just remember: You are strong.  You are powerful.  You can do this.

 

Madison Kitchen is an actor, singer-songwriter, lipstick enthusiast, and blogger at madkitchensink.blogspot.com.  You can find her searching for new cookie recipes, frolicking through New York City, or staring at chandeliers for extended periods of time.

 

Comments (1)

  1. Meagan Hooper

Needed all of these reminders!

 
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