How to Stick to New Year's Resolutions

Year after year we begin the new year with hope, ambition, goals, and a determination to become better. Yet somehow as they days go by, the large goals we had slowly fade. We don't stick to that diet we swore we would or go to the gym as often as we promised. Whatever the goal we had in mind was, we often imagine ourselves being able to start completely over with a clean slate and make ourselves better in the year to come. As wonderful of a desire this is, it is rather unrealistic.

Now, this isn't meant to be an article informing you that your dreams are impossible, rather that they are completely possible, but the mindset is what needs to change in order to make them happen.

The fashionista in me always wondered why I associate New Years Day with sparkles, shimmer, and clean decor. Then it hit me, this is precisely what we imagine when we think of new. We imagine shiny, clean, crisp, perfection. The shimmer and sparkles relay newness and excitement. We all look for a reason to begin again, to be able to hit reset on the mistakes we've made and become better. The New Year is that exciting time when we get to hit reset. Goodbye mistakes, stress, heartache, or whatever we desire to leave behind. Our mindset changes to a more positive outlook on who we can become.

Why can't we keep that excitement? That desire? Slowly, we allow ourselves to remember the comforts in life to come back when we mess up, when we fall, or when life just happens. Then we tend to allow ourselves to loose that childlike hope we had at the beginning of the year to fade. We hold on to what is familiar and fall into our same patterns we tend to follow in years previous. Always promising that we'll start back up after some big occasion, but never devoted to keeping to that new year's zeal.

This year however, I challenge you to join me make our new year's goals become a reality. Even though life may have already began to try to drag you down, let us continue to strive for that revised life we hope to attain. Maybe 2019 won't be as perfect as we dream, but at least this year we will feel more accomplished knowing we didn't stop reaching the resolution(s) from lack of trying.

So how is this going to be possible? How is this year going to be different? Mentality. Mindset. But most importantly, fully letting go of personal desires and trusting in God. I have tried taking control of my life, year after year. The reality is, I cannot control all the factors of my life, so why should I believe I can control my outcome? This year, I will fall, but instead of staying on the ground because it's easy, I'll get back up and do it again. Knowing that no matter how many times I fall, He is there either to catch me, or make me stronger from getting back up.

Now in order to let God take control of our lives, we need to get out of our own way.
"Wait... what? This girl is crazy!"
Nah, I meant it. Fo real. Move. Stop stopping yourself. You have more potential than you even realize. And as much as I like to blame it on others or "life", it's usually me telling myself I cannot do something so I don't even try. And like that is going to get you anywhere. So you can tell yourself that you are going to let God take over, but He can only do so much if you don't act as His instrument.

So 2019, try it. What will it hurt? Another failed year of empty New Years promises? I'll write a better blog next year then 😉 But most likely, if we all succeed, 2019 will be a phenomenal year.