5 Top Tips for your 2021 Resolutions
By: Jennifer Rose
Tags: New Year, New Years Resolutions, 2021, Goals, Resolutions

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

I think we can all agree that 2020 has thrown us curveballs we never could have anticipated or expected. That is why I believe it is so important to make our 2021 resolutions fun and easier to obtain. By following these 5 tips I believe you will able to create resolutions that are not only obtainable but enjoyable along the way. Your resolutions can be as simple as going to bed 30 minutes earlier or as complex as moving to a new place and starting a new job. Whatever your resolution may I hope these tips can help you navigate how you figure them out.

Tip #1 — Don’t be too hard on yourself, especially if you didn’t complete your 2020 resolutions (I mean really who did??). At the end of the year it is sometimes hard to avoid looking back and feeling upset and like we failed, that we didn’t complete our goals. This is where we need to give ourselves a little grace, accept that we didn’t complete our resolutions like we had hoped and continue to move forward. Focusing on the past for too long will steal from your future self and we owe it to ourselves to keep going.

Tip #2 — Break your big resolutions down into smaller obtainable ones. Instead of simply putting down “get a new job”, make resolutions that move you towards a new job such as: “update my resume and cover letter”, “practice interview questions”, and “compile a list of all the important aspects of what I am looking for in a job”. Once you break down the bigger goal it doesn’t have to look so scary and daunting. It is all about the journey and not always the destination.

Tip #3 — Change what you call resolutions. If hearing the word resolution makes your palms sweat then maybe it is time to give them a different name. Call them goals or promises to yourself. Taking away the pressure of a resolution may make it far more likely that you will be successful. I personally like to call them yearly goals. That way should I not succeed or the goal changes I don’t feel like I have failed, I have simply pivoted my goal in a new direction. Pivoting can be necessary, and sometimes what we think we want at the beginning of the year can change and that is okay!

Tip #4 — Share your goals (resolutions) with close trusted friends or family. By sharing what you are working to achieve during the new year with friends and family can help us stay committed. Our friends and family can help us look at our goals from a different perspective and they can help us pivot and navigate changes if necessary. Sometimes it is nice to have a little outside perspective and support along the way. After all things are more fun with your friends and family involved.

Tip #5 — Keep a journal. Whether you write in a journal regularly or you have never picked up a journal before, writing down your process can be super helpful. It gives you something to reflect back on, and place where you can work things out. Looking back on your journal entries as the year goes on can be really therapeutic as well. You can see your growth written down before you, and when you have hard days you can reflect back on the better ones. Being able to reflect can help you pick back up and keep moving. If journaling isn’t your thing then I recommend keeping a note on your phone where you can quickly jot down your achievements throughout the year. It will be great to look back on when you make your 2022 goals!

Below is a template I created that you can print out and use to write out your goals for 2021!!

I really hope these tips provide you some insight and help when it comes to creating your own resolutions/goals. I truly believe we all have the ability to create and obtain anything in life that we choose. With a goal, focus and a little hard work nothing is impossible.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2021.