Dear Diane,
Every year I set New Year’s resolutions and stick to them for about a month, and then start to slip up. How do I stay committed to my resolution well into 2008?
- Molly, Oshawa, ON
Dear Molly,
I am all too familiar with your dilemma. In fact, I know people who don’t even make resolutions anymore because they are afraid of breaking them. That’s why it’s so important to set the right intention for your New Year’s wish.
Your New Year’s resolution is an extension of you…it’s not meant to make you feel badly about yourself. Knowing that it’s just about expanding yourself will make it feel like a more positive experience So when you’re choosing your resolution, think long term and remember that nothing can be accomplished in a single day. The first month or couple days of a new year can just be used as an important starting point.
Choose something that will make you feel good when you live up to it. That way it will feel like positive reinforcement every time you do it. A great example of this is starting some kind of new routine, from exercising to a meditation practice. Remember that it doesn’t have to take over your life…you just have to be steady about it. Even dedicating yourself to your resolution for 30 minutes twice a week will help you stay committed to it.
Set yourself up for success by tracking your progress in a New Year’s journal. Make writing in it a special time for quite reflection by lighting your favourite Glade® Scented Oil Candle and spending a few moments on it each day.
And finally and most importantly, don’t go on a guilt trip if you find yourself slipping up. All you can do is the best you can in the moment and that, my dear, is always good enough!
Warm Regards,
Diane
