Most of us have set New Year’s resolutions to make changes that can better ourselves or let go of bad habits. Whether it be getting healthier physically, saving money, making a clean space for yourself, helping others more and beyond.
Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to keep motivated and follow through on these resolutions throughout the year. Research shows that as many as 50 percent of adults in the United States make resolutions, but fewer than 10 percent keep them for more than a few months. Even if you don’t make a resolution per se, January is still a time where a lot of people set personal goals for themselves, and these can be just as difficult to keep up through the year.
But don’t let that get you down! It is still very possible to crush your 2021 goals. Here are six of our favorite ways to get into the right headspace and keep your motivation going, to live your best stoner life this year!
1. Set Goals That Inspire You
Most of us start energized at the beginning of the year with a lot of motivation and good intentions to make changes, but it is easy for that excitement to die down, and many people have a hard time following through on their plans. To prevent burnout, make sure you set goals that truly get you excited. This goal should be important to you. You have to want it for yourself badly enough to take the steps to make it happen. As you are choosing what change you want to make or evaluating what goals you want to set going forward, write down your goal ideas, and the reasons that inspire you to achieve them. It is best if those reasons are personal to you and not for other people, but yourself. Think about how you will feel if you achieve this goal. Write down that feeling so you can hold onto it. Read this to yourself every day if possible!
2. Get Mentally Prepared
Get yourself in the zone! Think about what your goals were last year. What did you accomplish over the year? How do you want to grow? It’s easy to get stuck on what we lack but it’s important to enjoy your successes as well! Remember you are capable of doing so much in a year! If you didn’t manage to achieve any of these things, think about what went wrong. Learn from what you weren’t able to achieve and what you can do to make this year different. When things get challenging, remember what you’re trying to change from last year so that you don’t repeat the same mistakes.
Try not to make too many changes at once so you’re not overwhelmed. Remember, we want to be realistic to make things happen. Start with small goals and gradually increase as you start to achieve them! Saying you’re going to diet, quit drinking, get more sleep, and start running every morning are all great in theory until you wake up on day 3 and you’re wondering why you decided to torture yourself and that watching TV sounds way more fun. Start small. Make a list and check them off as you achieve different things! Also, don’t be too hard on yourself. No one is perfect and if you fail for one day, get back up and try again. The year isn’t ruined because of one mistake. You got this!
3. Be a Goal Setting Pro
Sometimes goals can feel unobtainable. The key is to set goals in a way that feels accomplishable and comprehensive. Just saying “I want to get healthy” could mean so many things that it’s easy to skirt around what accomplishing it means to you.
Specific objectives are best when it comes to setting goals. Cutting out fast food, cooking at home more, and moving your body for an hour a day are all specific goals. You should set up both objectives and results of your goals. An example of this being I want to walk 30 minutes each day so I can improve my cardiovascular health.
The more that you can focus on and set a deadline for your goals the more accountability you build and the more likely you are to reach your goals. The more specific the goal the better, but remember to keep it in the realm of possibility.
We love dreaming big! But if you have some pretty hefty goals, we recommend breaking them down into smaller, more manageable pieces. This will allow you to celebrate small wins and create a realistic timeline.
Pro Tip:
Sometimes technology can be very helpful for reaching your goals. From calendars, and workout apps, to streaks and alarms there are ways to help make things easier.
4. Keep Your Goals Organized
As we mentioned above, writing down your goals is a great reminder of what you were inspired to achieve for the new year.
Now that you have clear and specific goals you need to have an easy way to track your progress. Along with referencing your goals and all the reasons why you made them and how you’ll feel achieving them, we recommend keeping an eye on things to come. Keep track of upcoming goal deadlines, and how you are feeling. Every day, these tools and habits can help you make better choices as you go about your day. Let it guide your decisions in the right direction so that you can move forward and live your best life! It’s also fun to look back on everything you achieved the previous year. Allow yourself to celebrate everything you can achieve at the end of the year! Keeping a journal, writing in Notes on your phone, or even a piece of paper taped on a wall can all be great written reminders of your resolutions.
5. Tell Other People
The more people that are aware of your goals, the more people that you have that can be there to hold you accountable and keep you from forgetting these goals. Some people may keep their goals a secret because they are afraid of failing and there’s more of a sense of accountability and obligation that they feel if others are aware of their resolutions.
It turns out, sometimes it’s more motivating to avoid feeling guilty for not achieving these things when others are aware of the goals you set. There’s a sense of not wanting to let others down. I’m sure everyone who has tried to quit cigarettes has had many people ask them “I thought you quit?” When seeing them spark up. It can be very powerful to get a little reminder from people you care about.
It can also help to find people with the same goal and try to achieve it together to keep each other motivated and accountable. #Acountabilibuddies
6. Don't Forget to Have Fun
Resolutions can feel like work but are all about making a positive life change, and that is something to celebrate!
Celebrate wins with things that are fun or fulfilling to you. Set up realistic rewards for meeting goal milestones. This can be something from getting yourself a workout outfit you have been wanting to splurge on for a consistent workout, or a bowl if you clean your room each day. This can be whatever motivates you and can be spiced up with a partner (We’re thinking canna-massages or special treats for reaching goals)!
Also, you can spice up your routines by adding some things you love into them. Trying to do more cardio and love nature? go for some beautiful hikes. Trying to eat healthily and love take out? Find healthy substitutes or even better, teach yourself some of your favorite recipes at home. Want to find some balance and mindfulness? Meditate after smoking a bowl of a calming strain. There are so many ways to keep things interesting and fresh!
