Another year has come and gone. I’m not the first to say that there were a lot of surprises and situations, good and bad of course. With the uncertainty that the last couple years has held, it’s hard to go into another year with an optimistic mindset. Can New Year’s Resolutions really help with that?
Over the past few years I’ve learned that reflection is so much more beneficial than resolutions. Especially as moms, we put so much effort into making resolutions that NEVER come to fruition. And that’s OK! Instead of focusing on everything that went wrong this year, reflect and congratulate yourself for all the amazing things that you did. With that being said, do any of these statements sound familiar?
- Why do I never complete my New Year’s Resolutions?
- I feel like I’m making the same goals every year.
- What is it about this year that’s going to be different?
- How do I motivate myself to actually complete my resolutions?
Let me be the first to say that I ask myself these questions every single year after the holidays. And since we are confessing on this blog, I have never completed a single new years resolution. Never!! And I know that I’m not alone in saying that. Who else wakes up on January 1st telling themselves that they are going to go to the gym 7 days a week and only eat salad. Then that lasts a whole 5 hours before the leftover Christmas cookies come out and I’m too busy to go to the gym as often as I’d like.
New Year’s resolutions set you up for failure. They put too much pressure on you and don’t allow for incremental progress. So instead of making unrealistic goals this year, try some of these:
Reflect on everything you accomplished this year
Whether it is excelling in your career, making more time for yourself or even starting to gain confidence back, look at all the amazing things you did this year. Grab a journal or your computer and start to write down every single thing you accomplished this year, big and small. By doing this, you are starting to build goals slowly and really boosting your confidence. This allows for growth in every aspect of your life.
Try creating healthy habits
When you make time for yourself to slowly improve habits, that’s when long lasting change happens. As moms, do we actually have time to just completely change our lifestyle? Definitely not. When you try to change huge parts of your life all at once, it can be overwhelming. Do we really need to add another thing on our plates? I don’t think so. Taking time to create little healthy habits one day at a time is much more beneficial than starting over. For example, if one of your new years goals is to drink more water, start with having a glass of water first thing when you wake up and slowly increase your consumption from there. You will learn the best ways for you to reach your goals and stick to them.
Be kind to yourself and give yourself grace
One of the most important lessons that 2021 has taught me is how much of an impact positive self talk can have on your life. When you are able to have a positive mindset and really focus on what YOU want, your life truly changes for the better. With all the craziness of motherhood, we forget to take those 10 minutes every day to sit down, focus on our goals and work on our overall happiness. That’s where positive affirmations come into play. If you’ve never tried positive affirmations, this is your chance to. Take some time in the new year, write down everything you love about yourself and a few things you’d like to work on or reach. Whether it’s overall health, your career or even just some positive quotes to get you through the day, write them down. When you wake up in the morning, read your affirmations outloud and you will begin to notice the positive impact that it has on your life and mind. I’ve attached a little worksheet at the bottom of this blog, you can download or print it. Be kind to yourself this year and make sure you are taking care of YOU!
Prioritize yourself and take care of YOU
I think we can all agree that as moms, we almost never put ourselves first. Mom guilt seems to always win the battle. But you can’t reach your goals if you aren’t focusing on them. Next time your kids want to go on a playdate but you don’t have time to drive them because you want to do yoga, say no! When you want to have a relaxing day on the couch watching movies do it! This year you have to take care of yourself first. Kick mom guilt to the curb!
As another year has passed, we have the opportunity to reflect, plan and dream. This year you can reach your goals! Go into this year with a positive mindset, make a plan and be prepared for failure because that’s the only way you will make progress. This year prioritize yourself and let’s make 2022 the best year yet mommas!
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