Let’s Talk: How to Make Resolutions That Stick in 2025
Written By: Irene Eastland, LCMHC
Every year, January 1st, somehow we all come up with a list of resolutions, things we want to accomplish for the year, things we have desired to do in years past. “This year will be different” we think to ourselves. Myself, and others, have felt this resolve to, “make life different” when the new year starts. Yet, by mid-January or February, we are already “off the wagon” so to speak, and we haven’t accomplished our daily goal of journaling, or going to the gym, or taking the yoga class we signed up for. Or simply speaking more kindly to ourselves. These resolutions seem so solid and ready to be acted on when January 1st comes around, then suddenly… We slip. Back into old patterns, back into old temptations, and the like.
What if you could change that this year? What if you didn’t have to make a single resolution to start living the life you want? To start going to the gym and getting in the shape that you want? To eat healthier? To spend more time with friends and family? What if you could truly resolve and stick to the “something” you’re aiming for, and truly make it happen this year? Well, I’m here to tell you, you can. And of course, I know you’re thinking, “how could that be possible if I’ve tried so hard for so long and still haven’t stuck with my resolutions? What could be different that you’re going to say?” Let’s talk about some steps you can take to create goals and objectives and make them habits that stick based on the life you already have, your priorities and learning to live a balanced life. Stick around, and find out. Let’s make 2025, the year of redemption for you.
Small Steps to Big Goals
Instead of jumping “all in” and making 10 resolutions that are big and bold, let’s start somewhere near where you are already at. For instance, if you’re walking 5,000 steps a day and your goal is to do 10,000 steps a day. Work on getting to 6,000 steps every day for a week, then 7,500 the next week, 8,500 for the next week, and then 10,000 the next week. If you find 7,500 was hard to master, do that again for another week, then move up. This process works for any desired resolution, and is far more effective than trying to do 10,000 steps a day every day, when you’re starting from 5,000 steps a day. Plus, if you’re at 3,000 steps per day or less, the same process applies to make it to 10,000 steps a day.
Taking an honest inventory of where you are already at makes new habits easier to accomplish and implement. When you want to save $10,000 it seems impossible because you might have $1 in your savings account, or nothing at all. So, start by saving $100, then $250, then $500 and so on and so forth. Setting small amounts of money aside each week or bi-weekly when you get paid can make the savings build slowly, but consistently. Breaking down resolutions this way allows you to take small steps towards accomplishing big goals.
When you try to “do it all”, you may end up failing. “Why does this happen?” You might wonder to yourself. The short answer is, you put too much on your plate to be able to succeed. The longer answer is this… When you start something new, we will use learning a language as an example, you start from ground zero. You may have no knowledge, or limited knowledge of the language. As you begin to learn the language, you are considered a preschooler or kindergartener in your knowledge. Once you’ve spent months or years learning the language, you are considered maybe a middle schooler or even high schooler. But if you had already known the numbers, basic phrases, the alphabet of the language, and maybe some of the mechanics of the language before sitting down to really learn, you would have already been in middle school with that language. Then you’d maybe only need a few months or a few years to really “graduate” to proficiency at speaking, writing, and reading the language.
The same applies to a new habit. If you’re already walking 5,000 steps, you’re a lot closer to your goal of 10,000 steps, but you still need to practice the in-between of walking 6,000, 7,000 and so on before you do 10,000 steps every day with consistency. But if you started from walking 0 steps per day, you need to set easy to reach goals such as doing 1,000 steps, and then moving up from there as you feel more confident in your ability to consistently achieve the target you’ve set for yourself.
Apply this method to any of your new years resolutions, and they will become easier to master and achieve. Usually, when we start a resolution, we start by trying to do that specific thing with accuracy and consistency, but we often do not succeed because we are not taking the small steps to implement the change. Change can be difficult to maintain, it’s not “hard” per say, to change, but the maintenance of change is challenging. Taking small steps to achieve a larger goal, is the best way to stick with it, and see your resolutions through this year.
Balancing Your Resolutions With Your Current Reality
Another aim for the year needs to be balance. Oftentimes we are starting new things without having the time, energy or resources to actually stay consistent. For example, we may try to fit in a 1 hour gym session 3 times per week. However, you may also work 60 hours a week, have a family to take care of at home, and maybe limited support for completing all your tasks at home. So, going to the gym may be feasible for a little while; you may put off other tasks in your life, and spend less time with those you love, but eventually the imbalance will show itself. This may result in not going to the gym, or feeling overwhelmed by the amount of tasks you have to complete.
Instead of, again “jumping all in”, when it comes to going to the gym 3 times per week for 1 hour. Try assessing your current time commitments with a planner. Write out how many hours you work per week, how long is your commute each day, what other tasks or obligations do you need to fulfill on a daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis, and how much time do you want to spend with your family, friends, etc. By taking stock of your time, you can see where the gym fits into your schedule. And if you’re finding you’re overbooked, find time to workout at home first, for 30 minutes, 3 days per week to see how that fits into your schedule.
When you implement this change, take stock each week to see how things are going. If the 30 minutes is working out for you and your schedule, then continue on. If it’s not working, identify where you might be able to cut back on other tasks, or if you need to cut out other behaviors (like using your phone too much - no judgment, I’m also guilty of doing this) that are stopping you from getting that 30 minutes of exercise in 3 times per week. Again, if this new addition to your schedule isn’t working out for you, don’t give up your goal of working out. Adjust! Adjust your schedule, adjust the amount of time you spend working out. You can always increase intensity, and lower the amount of time spent working out for a similar affect on your muscle, weight, and tone of your body.
Instead of ditching the goal altogether when you find it’s “not working out for you”, you can balance it back out with a schedule that works best for you. Sometimes you might miss a few days. Again, work on not throwing out all your progress for the few missed days. If you miss a few days here and there, but at the end of the year you can look back and see you worked out most of the days you wanted to that is an accomplishment, and a completion of your resolution - even if you don’t feel like that on a week to week basis when you’re unable to complete a workout or do all that you wanted to do.
Support and Encouragement
Another way to help you stick with your resolutions is to find support. Now, I’d caution anyone reading to understand that support doesn’t mean hoping someone else is going to “do it for you”. By this I mean, it’s crucial to not rely on someone else’s participation in their goals for you to complete your goals. For example, if you invite 10 friends to workout throughout the year with you and by February you and 1 other friend are the only ones left, you may think “well, everyone else gave up, why can’t I?” Even if you don’t realize it in the moment, others giving up is a signal that “it’s not worth it”, even though that’s not true.
Getting support from friends, family, or a community on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media can be impactful and can help you stay consistent with your resolutions. Again, relying on those folks for your own motivation and consistency will be a sure fire way to not achieve the resolutions you’ve set forth. See that others may give up, it happens, but stick to the course. Give yourself at least 3 months of consistency before you decide to give up. Take it one day at a time, and learn to manage your own motivation and consistency, then maybe your friends will rejoin you as they see you continuing on a journey they once saw themselves on.
Conclusion
The new year brings about a renewed sense of hope, hope is the spice of life because without hope, there’s nothing. Resolutions are a result of this hope, and they can liven your life even more because it’s something to look forward to. When you set a resolution for yourself, achieve the small goals first. If you’ve got 50 lbs to lose, look forward to losing 1 lb, then 5lbs, then 5 more lbs, and so on. Once you’re on the track to doing what you desire, make sure it aligns with your other priorities and reflect on what changes you need to make so your new habit can stick. Find your tribe, find people who support and uplift you in your journey. Even if that means finding a counselor who can help you learn coping strategies to help you stay consistent this year. Let 2025 be your year of redemption.