How to keep your New Year’s Resolutions
Ok so it is January. The time of year many of us are looking to start something new, make some resolutions give change a fresh start. Yet we know that the odds are stacked against us. A quick internet search gave me these statistics: 25% of New year’s resolutions don’t last a week. And after 6 months 54% of New year’s resolutions have been given up. Honestly I was surprised that 46% of resolutions were actually held to after 6 months since that is better than my personal average! So how to beat the odds how to stick to your resolutions. God is all about making things new. In fact, that is what Jesus Christ came to achieve in our lives, a newness! 2 Corinthians 5:17 says Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
So if Jesus wants us to experience newness and achieve our (God honoring) goals. How do we do it? Well, the Bible has wisdom hidden all throughout it to help us and encourage us. Here are 7 keys to sticking to your goals this year….
1. Write down the specific goals.
Sometimes we don’t follow through on things because we can be too wishy washy. We can be too vague. I’ve heard it called “defining the win”. Instead of saying your resolution is to lose weight, say “I want to lose 15 pounds by June” or whatever it is. Instead of saying I want to get more exercise, say “I want to run a 5K by April” or “I want to run a marathon by September.” When you give yourself a specific goal you have something to shoot for. If there is no target you will very likely lose interest after a while. I love the verse James 5:16 which says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” That word Effectual brings to mind creating and requesting a specific effect. Now we can pray for God to “Bless us” or bless somebody else, but how do we know if that prayer was answered unless we ask for a specific outcome or effect? In the same way how do you know what to work towards in a resolution if it is not specific and how do you know when you have achieved it? Jesus came upon a Blind man once who was crying out and Jesus asked him in Mark 10:51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” If the man just wanted some coin or some bread the outcome would have been different. So know what you want, know what you are trying to accomplish and be specific so that you actually have something to work towards.
2. Have a Plan
Let’s be honest, things just don’t happen. And often we don’t achieve our goals because we don’t plan. It’s the old cliché: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” I remember one of the South Park episodes where these gnomes would go around stealing underwear. The kids followed them to their underground city to find out why. They said Step 1: Steal Underwear, Step 3 Profits. But no one knew what step 2 was. Obviously, an over exaggeration but sometimes we don’t achieve goals and run out of resolve because we don’t have a plan. Jesus said in Luke 14:28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?” In other words, before you even start, have a plan, know what it will take to get where you are going. Will it take re-arranging your schedule, getting up earlier, watching less TV to devote to night classes? How will your resolutions affect the people around you? Roommates, or family? If your goal is to learn to play in instrument, make sure you are not practicing drums at 2 a.m. in the bedroom without your spouse’s permission. You can have a resolution to accomplish something, but it will be nearly impossible to achieve if you don’t know how to make it all come together.
3. Put the “Why” in a visible place.
So often we have a burning desire to create new habits, and these are motivated by something within us, but we can lose that motivation when we forget why we started the journey in the first place. Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” Now this may sound a little harsh but think about it, how many dreams die because there is no fully compelling motivation. Whether it’s starting a new business, saving $1,000, writing a book, or losing 20 pounds. If you don’t have a constant reminder as to why you started it can be difficult to keep the momentum. So put up a picture of that vacation spot you are saving for, hang that dress or swimsuit on the door to your closet as a reminder why you wanted to lose weight, Keep the Forward to the book you wanted to write, typed out and on top of your desk, whatever clear picture you need to keep that vision alive and at the front of your mind!
4. Find a Community or Partner.
With one other person you double the chances of keeping your goals. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 tells us this: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”
Lets face it we all know how easy it is to get discouraged and give up. But on our bad days if we have someone cheering us on we are more likely to keep going. There is an advantage to accountability. Not that we should find someone to guilt us into keeping our resolutions but instead find a good friend or partner who will encourage you when you feel personally discouraged. Not to mention God directly said in Genesis 2:18 that it isn’t good to always be alone. We were created to live in community with others. We are created for friendship. And Life is always more fun with friends. Even if it is just one or two people who “get us” and are trying to achieve the same goals as us. So whether it is a gym partner, or walking partner or a book club or small group Bible study find a group that will help you stick to your New Year’s Resolutions.
5. Celebrate the Milestones
Seeing long term results doesn’t happen overnight. If you are going for a Master’s degree it may take a while which is why it is so important to celebrate every step of the way. Celebrate each class you pass as one step closer, celebrate each semester. No matter what it is you are trying to accomplish celebrate each step. In Joshua 4:9 it says “Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.” Joshua set up a memorial to celebrate the crossing of the Jordan River. And if you study this that was only about 100 feet across. Now it was miraculous because God parted the water just like he did for Moses at the Red Sea. But God instructed Joshua to celebrate this milestone of traveling 100 feet. If you read in Genesis Chapter 1 it explains the seven days of creation. Each Day God did a specific task or two. And at the end of each Day God looks at what He accomplishes and pronounces “It is Good!” In essence he celebrates each step of the process. If the God who can do anything does this shouldn’t you celebrate your own accomplishments each step of the way?
6. Know that it isn’t going to be easy.
If it were an easy thing to do you probably would have done it already. Now don’t get me wrong, it may be simple, but simple and easy aren’t always the same. It is simple to say, “eat better” It is simple to say “exercise more” but turning over a new leaf can be challenging, often it requires fighting old habits and human nature. It requires overcoming cravings and laziness. Paul used Olympics as a visual image in 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave…” I am not advocating torturing yourself but be willing to admit that it may be hard at times, and you have to push through if you want to see the results you want. Run your race pursue your trophy, your success and goals and happiness are worth a little hard work and sacrifice!
7. Anticipate Setbacks as part of the journey.
Sometimes we are our own worst enemies when it comes to resolutions. We become such perfectionists it is almost as if we are self-sabotaging. If your resolution is to start a new daily habit and you miss a day or two, don’t quit. Pick it up again and keep trying. Maybe to start with you will get it right once a week, then you will be up to twice a week, and before you know it, it will become a natural daily habit. Proverbs 24:16 states “for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, ….” Successful people aren’t the people who never have setbacks, they are the ones who keep going afterwards. Falling down, making mistakes, having hiccups in life isn’t what defines you, how you handle them and whether or not you get back up is what defines you.
You got this!
Remember More than half of New years Resolutions don’t last 6 months. So, while this list might seem like a lot, it may just be what keeps the other half on the right track. So, if you are going to set some new Years Resolutions this year, you might as well do it right and do it to last. So go ahead! I’m cheering for you! You are worth it!
