Welcome to 2023!! You’ve made it through the New Year and now it’s time to buckle down and attain all those goals you set for yourself on New Years Eve. This is your year, right? Time for a new you! Sound familiar?

Look back on previous years and think about how long you kept up those goals before you fell back into your pre-New Years routine. Maybe it’s time to re-think those resolutions. And possibly rethink how you will approach them. By changing your mindset and approach, you may be able to close out this new year better than any other! We’ve gathered some tips to help you tweak those goals and make them more manageable.

Make Realistic Resolutions

Sure, fitting back into your jeans from last decade sounds great, but is that really where you are in life? Maybe you’ve had babies since then, or hit menopause, or had a significant life change. Or maybe, you weren’t as strong back then, just skinnier. Losing a (large) number on the scale doesn’t mean you’re doing great. It *could*, but it could also mean that you’re focused on something that may not be realistic for you anymore. Instead, make a resolution that you can attain and maintain.

Big goals are great, but make sure they won’t overwhelm you or cause you to give up too soon. Take a look at your current circumstances and see how you can fit your goals into where you are right now. Maybe you want to read more. That’s great. But, if you didn’t have time to read at all last year, choosing to read 20 new books this year may not work with your schedule. Try finishing one book a month and see how that goes. Once you do that, you can always add more. If you choose something realistic, you’re more likely to stick with it.

Make it Measurable

“Eat healthier”, “get in shape”, and “be more positive” are great goals, but what does that specifically mean? By defining your goals and making them measurable, it’s more likely for you to follow through with them. When a goal is vague, you can’t gauge your progress.

Instead of saying you’ll “eat healthier”, determine how you will do that. Perhaps that means eating a fruit or vegetable with each meal or cutting back to dessert once a week. Whatever that means to you, choose something that makes it easy to tell when you’re following through.

Set Shorter Goals and Check In Throughout The Year

When you think about a whole year, it can seem like a really long time. Setting short-term goals can feel less daunting. For example, if you want to workout five times a week, check in some time in February or March to see if you’re still able to fit that into your day. You may need to tweak it a bit depending on how life is going. Continue to do those check-ins throughout the year so that you’re holding yourself accountable as well as recognizing that sometimes goals need to change a bit.

Try Something Small

A long list of lofty goals can be overwhelming. It’s natural for us to look toward the new year as an opportunity to become the person we want, but remember, you had to crawl before you could walk. Sometimes going too big, too soon can backfire.

Try setting smaller goals that you can commit to daily. By creating new habits, it paves the way to bigger changes. For example, starting your day with a positive affirmation is easier to do than “be a more positive person”. If you think positive thoughts first thing in the morning, you will change your mindset throughout the day. Even if you don’t look at the bright side the rest of the day, you’re still creating a positive foundation and daily practice will make it easier.

Don’t Get Discouraged

No one is perfect. If you slip up, it’s completely okay! Too many of us think it’s all or nothing. We think that if we spend a rough night eating a tub of ice cream, then our New Years Resolution to cut out sugar is over. That’s not the case at all! We will have setbacks sometimes and that’s okay.

If you’re slipping up a lot, maybe you need to reevaluate the goal. Perhaps tweaking it will be a better option. Don’t give up, though. Just because you’re not perfect doesn’t mean you’re not on your way to greatness. Life happens. Give yourself some grace.

Onward!

Now that you have an outline, go ahead and set those goals! This year will be great and you’ll do amazing things! Best of luck to you in 2023!