Every year, many people set out to make New Year’s resolutions. It is the most talked about thing at this time of the year along with establishing new goals, plans, and deadlines. There have been many, many articles written on the topic of resolutions and here at Tampa Therapy, it is a topic that we write about each year too. Despite its popularity, and possibly feeling overloaded with tips for setting resolutions, the abundance of information on resolutions is all for good reason. Why? Because having goals is incredibly important. Whether you call them New Year’s resolutions or goals, there is no better time to make a plan for making important changes in your life than the start of a new year.

Tangible Goals

Last year, we discussed some strategies for identifying resolutions and ways to make your goals tangible. Having tangible goals is always important as setting goals that are unrealistic or not attainable will always lead to poor results. When you have poor results, this can lead to disappointment and reduced motivation to make new goals for yourself. Always ensure that the goals you set are specific and measurable; this means that they are not vague or too general.

For example, with the #1 goal (yes, you guessed it), weight loss, start small! Perhaps a good starting place is setting the goal of losing 1 to 2 pounds within two weeks. This is attainable and when you hit your goal, you will be even more motivated to lose the next 1 to 2 pounds. This is much better than setting the goal of losing 10 pounds in three months, as you can celebrate your small victories and keep your motivation up. Make sure that you determine a goal weight that you would like to reach or a specific number of pounds that you would like to lose within a specific time frame. Finally, make sure that those numbers are not unrealistic or too lofty in order to keep your motivation and excitement levels high.

Weight Loss Isn’t the Only New Year’s Resolution

Other goals are important, too. Setting aside time for your mental well-being is just as important as the usual goals of losing weight or saving money. This may mean that you resolve to take time to relax, spend more quality time with family and friends, etc. What about planning a trip for later in the year or taking vacation time in advance to allow yourself a day (or a few) off?

Plan for your time off; plan your self-care! These important self-care activities will give you something to look forward to and has the added benefit of being incredibly important for your mental and emotional well-being.

Plan in Advance

The same rule applies for connecting with friends and family more. When you plan in advance, you are much more likely to attain your goals. Especially for things that involve significant time, it is suggested that you request time off in advance, write down plans in a calendar, and verbalize those plans to others to increase the likelihood of your follow through.

Setting Goals

There are many different types of New Year’s resolutions that people set out to accomplish. The key here is that you don’t have to accomplish them all at the beginning of the new year but rather it is a great time to decide what it is that you want to do. These plans are not set in stone and you always have the ability to add more goals to your list. But why not start now with a brand new year ahead of you?

Give Us a Call

If you are having trouble planning for how you will implement your goals or are even having trouble coming up with important goals that will increase the value and meaning in your life, give us a call. We work with people from all different backgrounds and with all types of presenting issues.

Perhaps your goal is just to live a more values-oriented life. You may not yet know what that looks like, but we can help you sort through what is important in your life and identify tangible and measurable goals.

Tampa therapy is invested and committed to helping you become the better version of yourself. As the saying goes, “new year, new you.” The New Year’s already here, so let’s work on making the new you – which just means a better version of yourself.