How to Keep Those New Year's Resolutions

I'm sure most of us have set some New Year's Resolutions/Goals for 2013, I know I have. And if you're like me, I bet you can often forget about these goals within a few months (maybe even weeks). Here are some tips to use to keep these goals in mind all year.



1.  Displaying your goals.  It's good to have a constant (visual) reminder of these goals. Having this reminder will make you think of your goals more often, so you don't forget it.  Make sure to put it in a place that you will walk by or glance at regularly.  Some good places:  bathroom mirror, above the light switch in your room, bed side table, etc.  You can even take the time to make a creative/fun display of your goals.  Here is mine:



2. Reread your goals thoroughly.  I like to set an alarm monthly to remind myself to reread my goals.  It's easy to glance at your goals daily, but it can become a part of your daily routine and you may start to not think much of it.  Rereading my goals gives me a better reminder of the bigger picture of my goals.

3. Set mini-goals to go along with your goals.  Some goals are for the "bigger picture" in your life.  For example, my 3rd goal is to explore my creative outlets more.  That's very broad and I don't want it to be too specific, so I've decided to make monthly mini-goals for this goal.  Think of these mini-goals as the staircase up to your larger goal and taking one step at a time.

4. Reward yourself.  I'm a big believer in this!  Being a teacher you understand the importance of rewarding good behavior/accomplishments, they push you forward.  You can choose to reward yourself with the main goals or for mini-goals. What kind of reward?  That completely depends on you and only you can decide it.  For me?  Depends on what I'm addicted to at the moment: a fun trip to Disney's Magic Kingdom, cookies, $20 awarded for shopping, or something to help my goals (books, art supplies, etc.).

5. Build on your met goals.  Sometimes your goals can be met before the year is over, YAY! for you. :)  But should I just stop there?  Have nothing to work on the rest of the year?  Well, this is the reason why I give myself at least 3 goals.  However, I think this is a good opportunity to build on your goals and aim for more.  This helps you to grow even more than you're already growing.  I think it's important to always be learning and growing, and having personal goals helps you do that to your own liking and own pace.

I call them goals and not just "resolutions" because I used to always not care for my resolutions after a month. Once I started calling them goals a couple years ago I felt they were more personal and more responsible for them.  (I've always been a goal-oriented worker, thus another reason why I'm a teacher!)  That's just me though.

What are your goals?  What do you plan to do to work on them?