It's A New Year and I Want To...

Improve my self-esteem? Be more positive and less stressed? Work on my personal relationship(s)? The list can go on and on. Regardless of what is on your Resolution list, it is important to remember there are certain aspects that must hold true in order to increase your chances of success and reduce the likelihood of failing to achieve your goals/desires for this year. 

1). It Must Come From You- many of our intentions for change originate from good places but they are not often our own. In many cases, they can be other people's recommendations or beliefs of what we should look like, how we should be living our life and/or what type of relationship we should be in. And while you may want to pursue such changes, unless you truly have the desire to embark on the journey for yourself, the chances of success can be minimal. Therefore, make sure your goal is what YOU really want and is something you are doing because YOU want to achieve. 

2). You Must Have a Plan - Once you identify what YOU want to work on, you then have to decide how to get there. Devising a plan can make the attainment of your goal much more reachable. For instance, if your goal is to improve your relationship(s), then sit down with a pen and paper and begin listing what specifically you want to improve, why it needs improving, and how you can do so. Essentially, you want to outline the steps you need to take so as to achieve your goal. Depending on your goal, this step can be difficult. Should you find yourself stuck, consider reaching out to family, friends or a professional to help you focus and create a plan. 

3) You Will Need Perseverance -  Any aspiration worth attaining usually takes "blood, sweat and tears." In other words, hard work, dedication and sacrifice are generally necessary attributes to achieving success. Hence, why the first two points are extremely important. When things get tough, when you find yourself exhausted and want to quit, refer back to your reason for pursuing your goal(s) and review your plan of action. Doing so can help reignite your spirit and give you some more energy to continue forward.  

Whether you are trying to lose weight, trying to improve your personal relationship or want to enhance who you are as a person, the above steps can be beneficial to achieving success. Do you have other recommendations you would like to share about this topic? Please share them below. 

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