How to keep your New Year’s Resolution (from someone that did successfully)

Do you need a hand keeping up your New Year’s Resolutions? Read on to hear how I succeeded in setting and keeping a New Year’s Resolution and the one tip I recommend to anyone looking to stay steadfast in their goals.

The background

Three years ago, I decided I needed to cut out dairy from my diet. I had been tiptoeing around doing it for a long time, trying out taking soy milk in my coffee, eating less cheese, etcetera, but I knew that if I wanted to see real change, I needed to stop eating it completely.

So, in came the New Year’s resolution: I’d let myself eat dairy up until the New Year, and then that was it. As the expression goes, I was going to go cold turkey.

Spoiler alert: it worked.

And I chalk the success of this particular resolution to one thing. 

So, whatever your goals this year, be it to get a new job, build your interview experience, or get a good mark in a particular subject at uni, use this one little tip to help you keep it.

The important tip

Tell absolutely everyone. 

Whenever you can, in any conversation, bring up your resolution. If you’re talking to your friends, your family, your colleagues, or anyone else that you chat to on the regular, tell them.

When I was quitting dairy, this manifested as me bringing it up every time I was getting food with someone, having conversations casually about the new year, or even just talking about what foods we liked. I pulled out the, “Did I tell you I’m giving up dairy?” or the “I’m going to miss x so much…” every chance I got for a good few months, to the point that 80% of the people in my life knew about my resolution.

Dealing with self-consciousness

Now, I know what you might think: that sounds annoying.

And it is! Or, at least, it feels like it to you. But I promise it’s less annoying than you think. I even give you permission to use this post as an excuse. If you’re feeling self-conscious, you can say something like, “I’m sorry if I keep talking about this. I saw this blog post that recommended…” and keep in mind that you can always transition the conversation to something else.

However, when I used this trick, I found that talking about my resolutions gave others the space to talk about theirs or share their struggle with doing similar things. One thing that I found really helpful when I was quitting dairy (and telling everyone about it) was the tips from other people with dietary requirements. They offered me advice on how to order out, how to stop feeling like a burden at parties and events, and how to deal with not being able to eat certain foods (halloumi, I still have a special place in my heart for you 😞✊).

Now, because this isn’t a food blog, let’s bring it back to your resolutions. 

Limitations

Obviously, there are limits to this trick.

For example, if your resolution is to find a new job, it might not be the best idea to start loudly talking about that with your current work colleagues. It’s best to always use your discretion to determine the right time or place to bring up your goals. 

However, this tip works well because it helps cement the resolution in your mind. It enables you to stay accountable to the people you tell, but it must also be accompanied by the motivation and determination to stick with your goals.

There will be rough points because staying with your resolutions can sometimes be challenging. But the support from your family, friends, and colleagues can help you through those difficult moments and keep your goals on track. 

Final takeaways

It is now three years on from my no-dairy resolution, and I am still steadily and happily dairy free. I’ve even used this trick again to talk to people about my professional goal of getting an internship last year and can attest that it works the same for other types of New Year’s Resolutions.

It may be challenging to get through that self-consciousness barrier and talk about your resolution, but I guarantee that your goals will begin feeling less daunting if you do.

Now go on and start spreading the word. You’ve got this! 

Featured image courtesy of Unsplash