Five steps to help stick to New Year’s Resolutions

Alexis Neely
Staff Writer

Alright, you have made your resolutions for the new year – once again. Losing weight or becoming more health conscious is at the top of the list – once again. And yet, once again, you find yourself giving up after only a week or two.

Year after year, the annual cycle continues. You make a hefty list of resolutions and eventually fail at accomplishing any of them. But what if, instead, you could make a change this time?  What if this year could finally be the year where those resolutions can become a checklist of achievements?

By following five simple steps, you could bring yourself closer to reaching those goals for 2015:

1. Form better habits
Studies suggest that it takes about 21 days to create a habit (or to break a bad one if that is one of your resolutions). It is only logical that the more you do something or stick to it, the more innate it becomes.  “Work hard to implement it into your daily routine if it is important enough,” said Jaelah Wright-Keely, a freshman chemistry major from St. Louis, Mo.

2. Set achievable goals
One of the biggest mistakes that people make when creating resolutions for the new year is setting goals that are just too big to achieve.  It is unrealistic to tell yourself that you will lose fifty pounds within your first two weeks of diet and exercise. Setting big goals creates a lot of room for failure, because when you don’t reach them you feel even more inclined to quit. Instead, smaller and more achievable goals are better. A slower and steadier pace is also sure to help ensure your success with the third step.

3. Stay motivated
This step is arguably the most important step in completing a task. Without motivation, there is no purpose or drive for doing anything.  Jillian Travillión, a sophomore psychology major from Greenwood, Miss. said, “Stay consistent. Weed out all distractions and maintain focus.” Focus is extremely important in staying motivated. By always keeping your eyes on the prize, you won’t falter in your quest towards attaining it.

4. Give yourself some “wiggle room
Another common mistake people commit is when they quit things “cold turkey”, or abruptly give up something instead of weaning themselves off of it. For people that suffer from a chronic sweet tooth, eliminating anything that is remotely sweet out of your diet may seem like the best option. However, it is better to allow yourself to cheat by giving yourself a little reward every now and then.

5. Believe!
As simple as it seems, many people have trouble simply believing that they will be able to do something. By heading into the new year with a negative outlook on what you plan to do, you will never feel up to par. You have to constantly remind yourself that you can and that you will go after your resolutions for the new year and stick to them! Believing in yourself allows you to remember that there is no obstacle you cannot conquer, even if it’s the last piece of cheesecake that you’ve been eyeing in the fridge or that dreaded morning jog.

By adhering to these helpful tips on how to make those resolutions truly stick this year, you could emerge from 2015 as a success story and end the vicious cycle of abandoning your resolutions before they ever make it off the ground. Make this year a year of change, and make it count!