Happy New Year! We’ve celebrated and looked onto 2020 with stars in our eyes. But now it is time to get real. You probably made a few new year’s resolutions for yourself. But let’s be honest, did you stick to your 2019 resolutions and do you even remember what they were?



Maybe you want to live healthier, lose weight, exercise more or stop stressing about the small stuff. If they sound familiar it’s probably because they are basically the same as the ones you made a year ago! So how can you ensure that your resolutions stick around past the month of love? By creating new habits!

Unfortunately, creating new habits takes time and energy; it isn’t an overnight fix. But you may begin to enjoy some of its benefits fairly quickly. Here are a few tips to help you create long-lasting change that will turn into new habits for 2020.

 

  • Clearly define your goals
    Simply exclaiming “I’m going to get in shape this year” isn’t good enough! Set a specific goal that you can work towards. It also helps when you write down your goals in a visible place or share them with your loved ones. This will help you stay on track.

 

  • Track your progress
    A fundamental principle of psychology is “If you can measure it, you can change it”. These measurements will also help you to identify plateaus in your progress so you can adjust your approach.

 

  • Be patient and realistic
    Let’s say you decided that you want to have R10 000 in your savings account this year. This is a great goal to work towards, but it is not realistic to get upset and demotivated when you haven’t reached your goal by the end of the first few months of the new year. 

 

  • It’s not all or nothing
    We’ve all been there. Thinking “I haven’t worked out at all this week, starting on a Thursday won’t mean anything,” is not the way to go. Taking a small step in the right direction is better than doing nothing at all! Usually, these habits get easier to stick to as soon as you actually get started. 

 

  • Reward yourself
    … when you’ve made progress to achieving or realising one of your resolutions. It’s easier to stick to long-term goals when you know you’ll get something out of it in the short-term. This can be something as small as buying a new pair of running shoes after completing your third park-run. Or treat yourself to a weekend away after you’ve curbed your spontaneous spending for 3 months. Little rewards along the way will keep you on track and motivated. 

 

  • Don’t be so hard on yourself
    Life happens! You’ve been adding to your savings account so diligently, when the fridge suddenly packs up. Or you’ve trained every day for a few weeks, but this week is hectic at work and you just don’t have the time. Don’t beat yourself up! These things happen to the best of us, and the best thing you can do in a situation like this is to keep your head up and pick up where you left off. 

 

Do you have any resolutions for 2020? We’d love to hear what they are!

 

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