Take control of your goals and watch yourself grow 🌱

New Year’s is to resolutions as resolutions are to New Year’s. Almost always exciting, but sometimes daunting. Every year, we make lists of aspirations, but the real challenge is bringing them to fruition. After a year unlike any other before it, 2021 calls for a completely fresh approach.

For a moment, imagine your life as a pie. Every slice is a hope, a dream, a task you have to finish, or a goal that you’ve been working towards. When a new year rolls around, we have a tendency to try to go for all of these slices in one sitting, effectively leaving us with a lack of motivation, a whole list of goals left unreached, and a proverbial stomach ache. 

So, what’s the best way to approach goals slice by slice? It all starts with determining both the why and the how behind them.  

Why why and how how?

When setting your resolutions, ask yourself why you want to achieve those things. It could be to push yourself, to try something new, or to get into better shape. Whatever the reason, keep this at the forefront of your mind, especially for the days you don’t feel so motivated. Fitness instructor Laura Girard delves into this concept a bit better here.

The how is how you’re going to achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself. This is where breaking them down comes into play. Make your goals more digestible by outlining your journey: where you’ll dedicate time, activities to help you get there, any buddies that can push you. Instead of staring at your goals all at once like that ginormous pie, you can achieve them little by little. 

Let’s start being more realistic!

With that being said, let’s dive a little bit deeper into tips for creating achievable resolutions. Once you’ve determined your why, the rest will follow. 

1. Write down your goals. Yes, with a pencil and paper. In a way, actually writing out what you want to achieve can make your goals more real. You can even tape these on your door, in your room, or on your desk to help keep motivation levels high.

2. Give yourself some variety. Under every goal, write out different ways you want to achieve them, and make it fun! Looking to improve your fitness? Try walking, kickboxing, or yoga. Want to cook more at home? Find different recipes you’ve never made before! Looking to delve into more reading? Have a roster of rented library books or borrowed books ready to go. Continue to mix it up so that your enthusiasm stays fresh.

3. Have someone hold you accountable. Whether you tell your friend, your mom, or random strangers on the internet, announcing the goals you want to work towards can help hold you to them. That extra push can help keep you motivated, too. But, it’s also key to remember your personal why and ensure you’re achieving your goals for YOU first!

4. Ask yourself how it’s going. Every week or so, check in with yourself and see how you feel both mentally and physically. Do you feel better than last week? Are your goals still things you want to work towards? Are the activities you’ve been doing sustainable? Priorities might shift along the way, but recognizing what you need to change to reach your best is super effective.

5. Accept failure if and when it happens. A lot of the time, if we have a “bad day” or week or month, we may wallow in that failure and let it cloud our minds. But, it’s critical to recognize that failure is a natural (and necessary!) Part of the journey — what matters is that you dust yourself off and keep going. A bad day, week, or month doesn’t define you, and it certainly doesn’t take away from all of your hard work. You’ve got this!

Let’s change the way we look at resolutions and start outlining attainable goals for ourselves. It will take off some of the stress and make the journey even more enjoyable! Whatever you want to accomplish this year, or any year, it’s possible.

From workouts to therapy, meditation, and everything in between, a Gympass membership can help you start small in the biggest of ways. Sign up today and start moving your mind, body, and mood.