“New Year, new me!” now how many times have you heard that? Even better, how many times has that been your New Year’s resolution? As stated in a 2013 article, provided by Forbes Magazine, “Just 8% of people achieve their New Year’s resolutions” (Diamond.)  How does that make you feel? Do you believe you are in that 8% bracket or did you just give up/forgot what your resolution was and fall into the category of “Umm, I forgot” with the remaining 92% of resolution makers? No need to worry, you shouldn’t feel alone. Hey, at least you tried, right?  With 2019 just weeks away from starting, you still have time to think of a resolution you can start, without feeling guilty! 

When deciding on what you would like to change in the new year, one of the best things to keep in mind is simplicity. I’m quite sure that you would like to dive into the new year with a million ideas as to how you would like to make the year, your best year, but take the time to take a breath and start small. In 2019, would you like to travel the world? Sounds nice, right? But for most people, they may want to start off small. For example, if you live in America, more specific, Virginia, and you want to see what the world offers, start by traveling to different states. If you travel from the East coast to the West coast, you will be getting a taste of how life is on the other side of the country. Sounds exciting, right? After you have accomplished the journey across/around America, you can now get into a more international state of mind. 

It’s great to dream, but when it’s concerning a New Year’s resolution, don’t overwhelm yourself. One of the most popular resolutions that people make for New Year’s has to be, “I’m going to lose weight!” This is a great goal/dream to have, but once again, you need to start off slow and motivate yourself. If you plan on dropping 50 pounds in a month as your resolution, you should always plan accordingly. Checking with your doctor and ensuring that this isn’t going to negatively affect your health is a must. After getting your doctor’s approval, start making gradual changes in your diet/fitness. When/if you are able, walk to your destination (ex: If you need to go to the store that is roughly 5 minutes away from your home, it’s a nice day outside; lace up your shoestrings and take a nice walk to your destination. Walking can sometimes help improve your confidence in yourself/overall well-being, and it can help shed some pounds.) As stated earlier, the key is slow and simple steps. Gotta crawl before you walk. 

Another great step you can make concerning your resolutions is making it obvious. To help make your resolutions more obvious, keep a record of what you are doing, when you plan to do it, and why you are doing it. These records can be kept in a journal (if you have one), on a calendar, or stored somewhere on your phone. The more you keep track of your goal, the more inspired you will become in completing it. 

Finally, the last step of many is actually quite simple; keep believing that you can do it. From going back to the original reason as to why you are doing what you have chosen to do (ex: travel more, weight loss, etc.) this can motivate you to move forward with your resolution. From being that adventurous person wanting to travel the world, but starting by traveling the country, your spirit will now hunger for more adventure and figuring out how you can make it to your next destination. Also, you may even meet people along the way that will offer to help/join you on your travels. To the person that wishes to lose weight, keeping track of how much weight you have lost over the months and how your body is beginning to change, even if ever so slightly, should motivate you to keep moving in the right direction. And just like the person who wishes to travel the world, your newly found outlook on life (fitness) will draw attention from people. Some of these people may say, “wow, you look good!” In such cases, you may wish to share that you have been keeping to your weight loss goals and help them to follow in your footsteps. 

In conclusion, keeping up with your resolutions may sometimes seem “impossible” when it really isn’t. Just keep believing in yourself and keep track of how far you have come. You may even meet new people along the way that will help motivate you. As the saying goes, “slow and steady wins the race,” and the same thing goes for new year’s resolutions. 

Article submitted by Sade Bolling.