How many times do people say this New Year I’m going to: eat healthy, gossip less, be a better me, or get fit, etc. and then never follow through? It’s hard to follow through with a generic, not specific statement. If you search online for new years resolutions success and failure rates, you will see statistics such as 80% of resolutions fail or only 8% of people reach their resolutions.
Make Your Resolutions SMART
We’ve all heard to make SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. In the last few years, I changed how I made my resolutions and instead treated them as yearly goals. I keep them in a journal to go back through as reminders and to check back throughout the year to keep myself accountable. At the end of the year, I can evaluate my progress. If I didn’t reach the goals, why not? Was it too broad? Not realistic for what I had going on in my life? Did something unexpected happen to cause me to forget my goals?
We should always be striving to better ourselves with different types of goals. I have some health goals, personal goals, and financial goals. Your goals can be whatever you want but make sure they are SMART. But how do you make character goals? A goal like ‘be nicer’ is challenging to fit in the mold of SMART goal making. For 2019 I decided to make some goals to improve my character. To help myself stay accountable, I’ve created a mantra to say every day to myself especially at times that are trying to those things I want to improve.
I’ve decided my mantra this year will be “I am strong. I am patient. I am kind.”
I am strong. This year I want to remind myself that I am strong and not to fall to pieces when something comes up that is hard or challenging. Motherhood is hard and very trying but I am strong and can handle it.
- I am strong, I can raise my kids to be good people.
- I am strong, I can work and be a wife and mom.
- I am strong, I can learn new things and get stuff done.
- I am strong, I will figure out problems at work and succeed.
- I am strong, I can do all things through Him.
I am patient. This year I want to work on patience. It’s something I struggle with constantly. Patience in waiting for things to happen as well as daily not “losing my cool” with my kids, my husband, and myself.
- I am patient, my daughter will one day go to bed without fighting me.
- I am patient, my kids will one day not need me as much so I can focus more on me.
- I am patient, just because it’s not how I would do it doesn’t mean it isn’t helpful or right.
- I am patient, I am still learning my new job and will make mistakes and take longer to do things.
- I am patient, my house can be messy. It’s a reflection on the season of life I’m in, not a reflection of who I am.
I am kind. This year I want to work on being kind. I struggle with harsh words especially when I lose my patience. I want to be a more loving person to people, my kids, my husband, and even myself.
- I am kind, I will not raise my voice at my children but speak lovingly to them always.
- I am kind, I will not answer my husband meanly and will appreciate him.
- I am kind, I will be kind to people at stores, restaurants, etc.
- I am kind, I will be loving toward my family and friends.
- I am kind, I will give myself grace as I fall short of my own expectations knowing it’s the season of life I’m in.
Join me and let’s be the 8% that follow through on our New Year’s Resolutions and make 2019 our best year yet!
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