Christmas, New Year's Eve, and the first day of the new year — this is how we can sum up the next three weeks of our lives in a nutshell.

The pre-Christmas chaos caused by the desire to get everything right and the frantic search for Christmas gifts will be crowned with a family meeting full of smiles, joy, and love.

But all good things come to an end, and that will be the case this time, too. After a few days spent eating Christmas delicacies, talking to close and distant family and friends, and unpacking gifts, there will be a short but intense time of preparations to welcome the new year…

The first day of the new year is a specific day accompanied by such extreme but at the same time inseparable feelings:

  • nostalgia — resulting from the end of a particular chapter of our lives
  • optimism and motivation — caused by a new beginning, opening another unwritten page of our future

At the beginning of the year, we have the impression that a completely new, slightly exciting range of possibilities is opening up, waiting for us to reach out to them. This is when we make the most resolutions. We build a vision of a new, incredible figure, achieving financial independence, starting a family, or building own business.

What should we do to ensure that our resolutions do not come to nothing and that a "motivational January" is not followed by a "depressing February" and "March without illusions"?

I will give you some proven advice in today's article.

Let's start!

Don't keep your plans to yourself

Tell other people about your decisions if possible, but make sure they are people you trust. On the one hand, sharing our resolutions makes us feel more obliged to implement them; on the other hand, some people may deprecate our plans, saying, "You won't succeed anyway!" and "It makes no sense!" which can significantly (and unnecessarily) lower our motivation.

Write down your resolutions

Resolutions written down on paper or in save the memory of a smartphone or computer will become official and authentic. If they remain unrecorded, they will be unmaterialized and may change or bend. By writing them down, you will always be able to come back to them in moments of doubt, which will help you get back on track.

Check whether your resolution is achievable

Plans that remain only in the sphere of fantasy and are entirely impossible to implement are only a source of frustration, not satisfaction. Adapt your resolutions to your predispositions. But don't give up on your dreams. It is essential that you divide long-term and ambitious goals into smaller tasks that are easier to achieve.

Visualize achieving your goal

Visualizing small steps on the way to the goal helps determine what exactly needs to be done. You can't jump from one point to another — change is a process. Think about small steps that will lead you to your main goal.

Monitor and record progress

It allows you to notice small (and more significant) successes, increasing motivation. You don't have to keep a chronicle of your progress immediately, but monitoring the process will allow you to control your progress and react faster to any adversities. Two or three sentences of a summary will be enough.

Focus on a few resolutions

Attempting to implement a vast number of resolutions usually fails. Rome wasn't built in a day! The fact that you are motivated and optimistic should not make you stop thinking rationally. Remember, it's not how many goals you have but how many you manage to implement.

Get ready for the challenge

Resolutions would not be resolutions if they did not pose challenges and were not associated with difficulties. Accept bad days and prepare for them in advance. Think about what you will do when they happen. Viewing achieving your resolutions through rose-colored glasses is unrealistic and won't get you anywhere.

The road doesn't have to be lonely

Although achieving a goal alone seems to be a tempting prospect, it is usually a mistake. Allow your friends and loved ones to help you and benefit from their support. Consider joining a group of people with the same goal. Exchanging experiences and comments in a larger group will allow you to stick to your decision longer and significantly increase the possibility of success. There's a reason why successful people build teams and networks. Take advantage of this!

Don't wait to start

If you really want to achieve something, you don't have to wait until the beginning of the new year. Don't postpone your dreams because there will never be a good time to start. Think about it: what's the point of waiting three weeks to create a resolution only to end it after a week or two?

And that would be it. I hope above tips will help you achieve your goals. Program yourself to achieve goals and continuous development.

Have a nice day!

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