Don’t Wait for the New Year, Start Your Resolutions Now!

By Sara Butler

Are you ready to look at 2021 in the rearview mirror? You’re not alone. The last couple of years have literally been one for the history books.

The holidays are now upon us and the year is, thankfully, coming to a close. But why wait to start 2022 off right when there are things you can do now to get a jump-start on your New Year’s resolutions and help you to make it through the holidays relatively unscathed? Here are some tips to help you get started today!

Why Start Now?

Why start on something today that you can put off for months? Hmm, that sounds like something a person with procrastination problems might say. There are a couple of good reasons to start now!

First, it gives you time to pivot. Everyone talks about their New Year’s resolutions come January and if you join in on that talk, you might feel compelled to continue on with things that simply aren’t working for you. Doing it early gives you time to figure out if your goals are really what you want to focus on in the coming year. If you really want to lose weight in 2022, do you really want to pack on the pounds at the end of 2021?

Also, starting on your new goals early for next year gives you time to start slowly. The truth is that cold turkey isn’t fun nor is it sustainable. You’re not a light switch and you can’t simply turn your habits on and off. You need time to be able to slowly ease into your desired changes, which makes starting now a great idea!

Think About Your Goals

At this moment, your goal may be to see exactly how much turkey and stuffing one person can consume in a 12-hour period, but let’s look beyond that. What are your goals for the next year? Having a list you can go back to can help you to get things done that are important to you when it comes to your own health and wellness.

Create a Plan

Eating your weight in turkey this Thanksgiving is a goal that may be realistic for some people, but not for others. The key to the goals you set for this holiday season and the year beyond is to make them realistic and specific.

So, instead of setting a goal such as “get healthier,” try instead to set a goal such as cutting out meat one meal per week and go heavy on the veggies instead. Or maybe increase the distance of your runs every week so that you can run in that charity 5K in June. As long as it’s something specific enough you can make a plan for, then you’ll set yourself up for success.

Just Do It

Now that you have goals and a plan, take steps toward meeting them! It doesn’t have to be January 1st in order to set things in motion. Let’s be real, how many years have you made New Year’s resolutions on New year’s Day only to have them fizzle out by Valentine’s Day? No judgment, we’ve all been there, but you may want to find a different approach to really meet your goals this time.

Be Nice to Yourself

You may want to sit down for this dose of realness: You’re not perfect. No one is. As humans, we set goals for ourselves with the best of intentions, but sometimes fall short. That’s OK. Especially with the holiday season getting ready to come in full Hallmark movie force, it’s going to be a challenge. You will miss your goals sometimes or do things that don’t exactly help in your pursuit of them, but don’t beat yourself up when that happens.

The most important thing to remember is that you’re making an effort and working on goals that mean something to you. That should always be celebrated!

When you start early on your goals for next year, you’re getting a head start on results. It’s OK if it takes time to get in the swing of things -- that’s why you’re starting early!

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