Hello there, 2019! We hope that your New Year’s Eve celebrations were joyous and safe and that you’ve made it to 2019 with a boatload of ambition. 2019 is going to be a great year, we can just feel it in the air around here. With that in mind, we were thinking about New Year’s resolutions and, without fail, how people tend to break them. While the most common resolutions, year in and year out, tend to center around eating better, working out more, and losing weight, it doesn’t really matter what your resolution is. What does matter is how you approach it. Let’s flip the script in 2019. Here’s how to actually keep your resolutions this time around. Be SMART about it This is your best bet at accomplishing any goal. Not only does it sound cool, but it’s also a super useful acronym for goal setting. It stands for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely Using this method to set your goals will set you up for success. Here’s an example. Let’s say your goal is to, “lose weight in 2019.” Pretty straightforward, right? Turns out it’s not the best way to approach your goal. A SMART way to approach this common resolution would look more like this: I will lose 80 pounds in 2019. I will do this by losing 20 pounds every 3 months by eating out no more than once per week and increasing my physical activity to three times per week for 40 minutes. In this version, you’ve made a very specific goal. It’s measurable, since you’ve decided how much weight you’ll lose, and it’s absolutely attainable. While setting a goal of an 80-pound weight loss in a year is not very realistic, it’s simply too broad, aiming to lose 20 pounds in 3 months certainly is. And finally, the goal has a basis in time. There is a deadline, an absolute date wherein you can assess how you did. If you’re off track, you have time to adjust your methods, identify places for improvements, and move forward with an adjusted plan. Set Yourself Up for Success If your resolution is to run a marathon in 2019, you’re going to need running shoes. If you want to save more money in 2019, you’re going to need a bank account. And if your goal is to eat better in 2019, setting yourself up for success means not bringing Little Debbie into the house at all. Give your resolution the best odds possible by setting yourself up with all of the tools that you will need to meet your goal. Take some time to think about what this means as it relates to your specific goal, and then make a plan to make it happen. Get Support There is a reason that couples start fitness plans together. While, at first, you might think that they do this so that they can both feel miserable together, the real motivation may surprise you. Turns out, according to psychologists, that humans are more likely to achieve their goals, fitness or otherwise when they have a community of like-minded peers supporting them. Maybe that means working out with your significant other, or in a class setting. Maybe that means an accountability partner who checks in on you from time to time. And, maybe, it means seeing a therapist to talk through issues that may be holding you back from your goals. No matter what your resolution is, you’re more likely to achieve it if you have support. Be Kind to Yourself Our last bit of advice? Be kind to yourself. Starting any new habit is hard, and more likely than not, you’re going to fail before you succeed. It’s that whole, “walk before you run,” thing. Having a setback doesn’t mean that you’re done. Failing once doesn’t mean that you’re a total failure. With the understanding that any new behavior takes at least 60 days to become a habit, give yourself some grace. Pick yourself up, give yourself a hug, and get right back to it. The only way to actually keep a resolution is to never quit. Do you have your 2019 resolution already picked out and ready to go? We’d love to hear about it. Be sure to share it with us on social media, and don’t forget to tag us so that we see it!