We’ve made it through the first month of 2017, and by now, many people have forgotten all about their beloved New Year’s resolutions or had trouble keeping them. Many are also over the idea of “new year, new me," one that I personally find ridiculous. New Year’s resolutions are certainly good ways to help you identify your goals for the next year as well as things you wish to change about yourself. However, ideas like “new year, new me” are ones that often require a lot of change, sometimes too much. Large, drastic changes are difficult to make and can easily cause one to give up.
Yet just because you may have set unrealistic goals for yourself or have not been able to keep your realistic goals over the past month does not mean that you cannot reevaluate those resolutions right now (or at any other point during the year). Unexpected situations arise during life. Situations that you cannot plan for on January 1, when you are writing down your New Year’s resolutions. These unexpected occurrences may require you to alter or completely forget about your resolutions. However, this does not mean you have to wait until the next January 1st to begin new resolutions or to make changes to your lifestyle. At any point during the year, you can evaluate yourself. You can look at your strengths and weaknesses, your daily and weekly routine, and your good and bad habits. By evaluating these aspects of your life, you can pinpoint things you wish to continue doing and things you wish to start or stop doing. The important thing is to make sure that these are realistic and attainable goals, not unrealistic and lofty goals.
Here are three realistic, attainable goals to get you started:
1. Get organized.
This goal can be applied to different aspects of your life and is one that can be easily achieved in just a few simple steps. Maybe your desk is a mess with pens and papers all over it. Maybe your shoes are all over the floor of your closet. Maybe you have trouble keeping track of important dates such as events, birthdays, and due dates. All of these things can easily be fixed. You can purchase a few desk organizers and folders or reuse an old basket or mug to get your desk organized. Buy a shoe rack, shelves, or closet organizer to clean up your closet. Purchase or print out a calendar or a planner so that you can keep track of all of the important dates and things you need to do in one place. You can even use websites or programs such as Google Calendar or the calendar on your phone. This way, you can set reminders and view them on your phone, computer, or any other device.
2. Eat healthier.
This can seem like a difficult goal to achieve. Yet with small, simple adjustments to your diet, it is possible. For example, maybe you skip breakfast every day because you do not have enough time in the morning to eat. Try to find ways to begin to make/eat something or try preparing a fruit cup to take on the go in the morning.
3. Surround yourself with positive people.
This doesn’t mean to completely cut off anyone who expresses any negativity. However, you should find people who have positive outlooks on life and who see the good in things and in others. Surround yourself with people who appreciate you and want only the best for you. Don’t spend your time with those who are jealous of your achievements or want to see you fail. That type of behavior could eventually rub off on you!
