Stay Positive, Stay On Course, Get Results: Proven Strategies To Make New Year's Resolutions Stick

How are you? How’s it going with your New Year’s Resolutions or goals?

First, congratulations on setting any goals or creating New Year’s Resolutions! Second, double congrats if you’ve started working on them and stayed consistent—even if you paused and then restarted. Third, triple congrats if you’ve been going strong since January 1st without stopping!

I will share a small strategy to help you continue until you accomplish what you want to achieve from your New Year’s Resolutions. First, I must discuss why New Year’s Resolutions don’t stick.

New Year’s Resolutions don’t tend to stick simply because we can quickly feel overwhelmed by the excitement of starting them. When we aim for significant changes, we often expect immediate results. But as we get into the process, our mind and body may struggle to keep up with the change, leading to fatigue and falling behind.

Falling behind might start with taking a rest day, which can snowball into two or three days. Guilt often creeps in when we try to catch up, making us push harder and feel even more overwhelmed. Over time, this guilt and pressure can make us question if staying committed is worth it.

That’s why setting intentions is important. It allows space for taking small steps and space for forgiveness. It is okay to stop for a day or two, especially if you did not intend to quit. The rest also allows for space to examine where adjustment is needed.

For instance, if you set a goal to use the treadmill for one hour every day but realize you don’t have that time, adjust your regiment. Start with 20 minutes daily. Once you’ve consistently done 20 minutes for three days, add 10 more minutes and aim for 30 minutes for the next four days. When 30 minutes feels comfortable, increase to 40 minutes for five days. If 40 minutes becomes your comfortable minimum, maintain that as your baseline. You’ll then have the freedom to extend it to 60 minutes on some days but know that 40 minutes is enough to feel accomplished.

This gradual approach allows you to set healthy boundaries, feel successful in your efforts, and build confidence as you achieve your intentions. The goal isn’t just to accomplish—it’s to feel accomplished.

Most importantly, focus on creating an outcome rather than a goal. For example, if your goal is to lose weight, you might unconsciously focus on the negative. However, if your desired outcome is to be healthy, the process becomes more positive and holistic. Focusing on being healthy will naturally result in weight loss.

When your whole focus is on healthy living, your desire to exercise, eat nutritious food, drink more water, avoid junk food, and practice self-care will all become instinctual. You have chosen to be intentional about being healthy and wanting a healthy body, so these actions become part of a natural process. It all begins with taking small steps towards accomplishing the intention you have set.

In other words, you’re not chasing results—you’re embracing the journey of becoming healthier.

To ensure this healthy habit sticks, celebrate your progress. Using what you already have, your celebration can be something small and meaningful.

There are countless ways to celebrate small accomplishments each week. Below, I’ve listed a few examples, but feel free to create your own. Choose a specific day of the week to dedicate to celebrating, and as you celebrate, acknowledge each little thing you’ve achieved toward your intention for the week.

• Burn incense
• Light a candle
• Make yourself a cup of tea
• Take a short walk
• Take a long walk
• Listen to a song you love and dance to it

These examples of small celebrations do not require you to spend money. Besides this perk, they shift your focus away from material gains to taking meaningful, physical actions. This practice empowers self-recognition, self-acceptance, self-care, and self-love. Consistent practice of small celebrations brings inner peace and inner joy.

We are no longer dependent on external recognition. We listen less to our critical voice as our self-worth grows from each small, celebrated success. With this increased sense of self-worth, we become happier, more inspired, and more motivated to create, produce, and accomplish more. Naturally, you’ll want to perform better at work and contribute more to your co-workers.

What I’ve shared with you today is only a small sample of my strategies to help you find balance and to maintain balance in life. See below for more information about joining me in a Coaching Session or about booking a free consultation with me

Till next time…

Find your flow. Find your freedom.

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If you missed our blogpost from last week on finding flow, be sure to click on the title to check it out: “Reset and Create Intentions For The New Year.”

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I help my clients rediscover joy, stability, and freedom. They find flow in the process. If you feel there is anything that is holding you back in finding flow in your daily life, I can provide a process that will connect you with your strengths and your true capacities to move forward.

If there’s something that you’d like to bring into your life, I’d like to help you!

Connect with me via email to book your free consultation today.

~ Audra ~