An estimated 80% of people have given up on their New Year’s resolutions by the second week of February, and others will be on their 3rd, 4th or 5th “do-over” already, so it can be easy to get disheartened. Especially for resolutions that have always been your big dream, like starting your own business, buying your first home or finally taking that trip of a lifetime, it can seem like they’re out of reach. However, in this post, we take a look at how to make your resolutions really stick this time, as well as how to make sure you and your dreams are protected, so that when you look back on 2019, you can say it was the year you achieved your dreams.
Start Small
Breaking down your resolutions into smaller steps will make them seem far more manageable and stop you from becoming discouraged. Setting short timelines for each of these smaller goals in the run up to your big goal means you’re working towards something that’s far more attainable straight away.
Especially if, like the majority of us, your resolution is to be more active this year, taking things gradually is also much safer, so you’re less likely to hurt yourself. For example, if you want to run a marathon, try aiming to do a 5k in March, a 10k in May and a half marathon in August first. Creating smaller goals gives you things to work towards that are closer and more realistic, while still keeping you on track.
Trying for your main goals straight away is usually pretty unrealistic and will end with you feeling unmotivated, and could result in you hurting yourself. Personal insurance is the best way to make sure your life and the lives of your loved ones aren’t impacted should you break your ankle running up a mountainside for the first time in five years! Remember, you do have the whole year, so take it easy, and it’ll happen for you as long as you just keep at it.
Be Specific
Setting a goal that’s too broad can be your downfall, as it doesn’t give your brain enough to work towards to motivate you. Saying you want to “lose weight” or “buy my dream home”, isn’t actually going to give your brain the drive it needs to get things done! Setting a specific goal gives you something concrete to aim for, which your brain finds far more helpful. Instead, try saying “I want to lose 20kg”, or create a specific plan to set hard deadlines for yourself.
For example, if your dream this year is to buy a house, but you just can’t seem to find the motivation to get the ball rolling, you could make a plan that looks a bit like this:
- Viewing 10 homes by May 1st.
- Putting in an offer in by July 1st.
- Arranging home insurance by September 1st.
- Moving in by October 1st.
You might not be able to hit all these targets exactly, but by breaking things down and making sure you have defined goals, you will find it’s much easier to make your dreams happen. Being able to measure your progress can show you how well you’re doing every day, week and month of the year, pushing you to keep at it this time around!
Or, if it’s an activity you hate, try enlisting a friend! Going to the gym or an exercise class with a friend makes it so much more enjoyable, and means there are consequences to not going – you’ll have let down someone you care about, unless of course, they bail too!
Tell Everyone!
Tell your friends, family, co-workers, Instagram followers – anyone who will listen about your goals! Public commitment has been shown to increase the likelihood of sticking to goals. Publicly committing to your goals also gives you a sense of immediacy. Even if your goal is still far away, the thought of failing and embarrassing yourself in front of your friends and family is a pretty strong motivator for anyone to keep going! Having the support from people close to you is also a great motivator when you’re losing sight of your goals.
For example, if you want to start a business this year, telling your friends and family can help build your reputation and give you a headstart. Making steps such as setting up social media for your company, finding a storefront or office space and making your first sale are all great, manageable goals to make and can be really helped along by having the support of your loved ones.
However, this approach doesn’t work for everyone, and if you think the pressure of everyone else’s expectations will hinder rather than help your progress, it’s okay to keep your goals to yourself. After all, you know yourself better than anyone else does.
Develop Self-Awareness
Working out what triggers you to put things off or keep at bad habits is important to kicking them to the kerb. Whether it’s a mood, a time, a place or an event that discourages you from stopping your bad habits, once you know what it is, you can start avoiding it, or decide to combat it head on.
If you find that as soon as you’re sitting on your couch, you don’t feel like job hunting, for example, try and work towards those goals when you’re not at home, and make time for them on your lunch break or commute instead.
Likewise, you know better than anyone else what kind of person you are. If you’re a night owl, forcing yourself to get up early and go to gym just isn’t going to work for you, and if you’re uber-competitive, finding someone or something to measure yourself against will keep you motivated.
Being self-aware and using that knowledge to work around your own barriers and obstacles is the key to achieving your resolutions this year.
Too often it seems like the simplest option is to give up on your resolutions, but we hope that our advice will help make it easier for you to reach your goals.
For any big step or change in your life, especially when you’ve worked hard to make that change, it may be worth looking into our range of personal and business insurance policies and seeing how we can help protect you, your loved ones and your property. To find out what JonSimon Insurance can do for you, call us today on 0161 710 3043 or email us at info@jonsimoninsurance.co.uk and finally make your resolutions a reality.
