New Year Resolutions

I hope everyone is off to a productive and prosperous start to their New Year. I hope everyone is crushing their goals and sticking to their New Years resolutions. According to some research I did, less than 8% of people actually stick to their resolutions. Most people don’t even make it two full months with their goals. Listen, if you have made a resolution and are crushing it and sticking to it, that is great. I’m proud of you. On the other hand, if you have fallen short of your goals for the new year, have gotten a little lazy, missed a few days, and have given up on your resolution, it’s not too late to pick it back up and crush that goal!
I prayed about my resolutions for the year. What did I want to change in my life? What would make me a better person? What would make my life better in 2021 than in 2020? After some serious praying and searching I came up with two resolutions and one word to work on for the year. My resolutions were to read the Bible completely through front to back, and to compliment my wife every single day. My word for the year to work on was prayer. Now, I would be lying if I’ve said I’ve hit every single day, but to date, the end of January, I’m over half way through the book of Exodus, and I haven’t missed more than three days of compliments to my wife, and my prayer life has grown significantly.
Now, whether your goals and resolutions were weight loss, money saving, more organization, less social media time, or whatever it may be, I’m going to give a few tips that have helped me out to stay on track.
First, with goal setting or resolutions I think it is important to set them for the right reasons. It’s important to set goals that have deep meaning to you, rather than what is expected of you or what someone else wants of you. When we set goals that are important to us, they will stick with us in the back of our mind. We will strive for them daily because we actually want to accomplish them. When we miss a day or get to slacking, if they really have meaning to us we will pick back up and try again because we actually want to accomplish them or make the change. For me, reading the whole Bible is something I have not done that I really want to accomplish. I figured daily time in my bible will be good for my spiritual relationship with God. With my complimenting my wife resolution, that would make me think of something that I like about my wife everyday. She would see that I notice her more and that I am proud of her. It would also be a positive note to her day. Both of these resolutions have great meaning to me.
Next, I have found what helps me with my goals is to make a plan and set smaller goals to achieve the big goal. We can become overwhelmed with the big goal; Lose fifty pounds, read the whole Bible, or save five thousand dollars. But, when we break it down and make a plan to actually achieve the goal, it makes it more realistic. If your goal is weight loss, it might be to loose five pounds a month by changing your diet, working out for an hour a day and four days a week, and loose five pounds a month. If it is saving money, it might be to budget your money, find something that you are spending money on that you could live without, and put five dollars a week in a piggy bank. For me it was to find a reading plan that guided me through the whole Bible in a year, and be setting time aside in the morning to do my Bible reading. Whatever you goals are, break them down, make a plan, and build the obedience and habit to stick to your plan.
Third, document your progress. I have found it can be hard to stick to your goals if you aren’t seeing progress. Keep track of your successes. Make a calendar and check it off when you have accomplished it for the day, week, or month. Take weekly pictures or videos, ect. When you track your progress and see the improvements it keeps you motivated.
Lastly, I think it is important to reward ourselves for achievements along the way. Look, resolutions are a marathon not a sprint. They are habits that require obedience. It is OK to reward yourself for being obedient and sticking to your goals. If it is dieting and weight loss and you have not missed a work out in three months and have lost fifteen pounds, take a rest day and eat a candy bar or have a cheat meal. If it is saving five hundred dollars a month and you have done that for three months, go buy yourself something small that you have wanted but couldn’t afford. Resolutions should not be all about hard work and no fun. That is why it is important to reward yourself. Occasional rewards provide tangible proof that your resolution plan is working.
Resolutions and goal setting can seem like a daunting task. If you struggle with keeping resolutions or goals it’s OK. I promise it’s not a lost cause. The most important thing is to keep trying and to never give up on getting better. Keep trying, keep going at it, and don’t weaken!
“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.”
Colossians 3:23-24