New Year's Resolutions: How to keep them!

New Year's Resolutions can be a thing of beauty as well as a thing of  contempt. It can be so exciting to daydream about a better you months down the road as long as you can keep your resolutions... why, then, is it so dang hard to keep them? Here are my tips on how to keep your resolutions this year! Because THIS TIME, its gonna be different!

1. Be practical - it is so important to be practical and realistic when setting goals. Make sure to set a reasonable goal for yourself rather than set a goal that seems so unachievable that you're tempted to give up right from the get go.
2. Set mini-goals- Achieving a huge goal is so much easier when its broken down into smaller parts. Check points are amazing ways to make sure you're keeping up with your resolutions as well as giving you a feeling of success from time to time. Celebrate your mini successes along the way instead of just once at the end of hitting your mark! It'll give you the confidence you need to keep going!
3. Set yourself up for success- make sure to have what you need in order to succeed. Whether that be equipment, knowledge, or motivation, you have to have the necessary tools in order to achieve your goals.
4. Hold yourself accountable- make sure that you somehow set up reminders to get it done. This might include telling other people what you're trying to achieve so the thought of them knowing you bailed on your resolutions is motivation enough to complete them. If the idea of letting people in on personal goals makes you feel vulnerable, maybe instead try writing down weekly what you want to achieve regarding your resolutions and make sure to reward yourself upon completion.

Here's how I'm trying to use my tips with my goals this year!

-My first goal is to lose 15 more pounds. I lost 25 pounds during the second half of last year and I want to keep up my weight loss! I'm setting smaller goals for myself (1 pound a week!) and have told some of my friends and sister about my goals. My sister actually joined My Fitness Pal (the awesome calorie counter app I use) so we can keep each other accountable!
-Keeping up with my blog. Blogging is something I really do love and I need to make time for it. I'm trying to post blogs a certain amount per month and I use my planner to write down what posts I want to have published on what days.
-Drink more water. This goal seems kind of easy or silly but I always forget to drink water! To set myself up for success, I bought myself this super cute Camelbak Eddy waterbottle in the coral color so I can bring water everywhere I go.
-Exercise more often. This goal is so cliche, isn't it? To help me achieve this goal, I bought a yoga mat and some hand weights so I have things available in my room to work out with. I also met up with a trainer in my class who helped me create an exercise plan to help me tone it up!
-Stop. Think. Reflect- I tend to get invested in things that when I really stop to think about it, don't effect me at all. I made it a goal this year to stop, think, and reflect when I find myself getting too wrapped up in something that in the long run, really doesn't matter. I told some of my friends about this one so they can stop me if they hear me going off the deep end about something!
-3 As in all 3 semesters- this one is an academic goal that my planner is going to help me the most with! I love the Erin Condren Life Planners because they make it so easy to stay organized. I can write what to study when in them and keep up with my studies in order to get the grades I want. With this goal I tried to be practical. I definitely want at least 3 As all 3 semesters and that's totally achievable... now its just time to surprise myself and see how many As I can get! Get your own life planner to start keeping track of yourself HERE!

What are some of your New Year's Resolutions and how do you plan on keeping them???
xxSJ