How to keep your New Year's resolution

15 January 2018

Wouldn’t it be lovely if months or years after your set them, your goals had the same motivational impact, rather than dropping off one by one.

That's probably unrealistic, but there are some things you can do to keep your intentions. One massive thing you can do is - accomplish one thing, however small, every single day towards your goal.

If, for example, exercising is your goal, it could be that you do a 4-minute high intensity work-out rather than your usual 30-minute walk; or visualise how you would feel if you maintained this goal throughout the year.

The mind loves to revert to what it knows, and constantly leans towards the easy way out, so get to know your vulnerabilities. Be vigilant for the self-talk that will undermine those goals and prepare yourself with some good comebacks so you won't find yourself going along with the negativity.

The more you move in the direction of your goals - which takes conscious effort - the more you will create stronger neural pathways in the brain, and the less often you'll get bogged in those familiar ‘lazy’ patterns.

Tags

• motivation
• new year's resolution