Many people find themselves in a period of reflection at the end of the year leading up to their New Year’s resolutions.  I used to be a part of the eye-rollers club; the people that immediately roll their eyes when they see social media posts proclaiming “New year, new me”, “leaving behind the drama and fake friends”, and “I’m focused on my self this year”.  I would think to myself, “you made these same declarations last year annnnnddddd the year before!”  While I critiqued others and mocked their resolutions, I silently reflected on my own resolutions and would start to feel as if I hadn’t accomplished ANYTHING for the year.  I used to feel that if I didn’t do everything on my checklist, I had failed and I allowed myself to create this false vision in my head of how things were supposed to be.  I would think “well why did this not happen or why did such and such have such an awesome year, and what’s wrong with ME?”

Resolve to be a healthier, fitter you in 2016

Every year at my job I have to write a self- appraisal to show what I have accomplished for the year, or brag about myself.  I’m not going to lie, I really don’t like the process but after I’m done, I always feel like, Damn girl, you’re the bomb! And then I started to think about all of my personal achievements and again I had to say, Damn girl, you’re the bomb!  I had to change my attitude and reverse those negative thoughts that I used to have.

Instead of reflecting on your downfalls and shortcomings, direct that energy to your accomplishments and achievements!

When you start to think about the small things such as the time you held your tongue when you wanted to curse someone out, that new job, when you said “forget it” and took that awesome, spontaneous trip with your friends, or when your children just made you smile all day, you will rememer how blessed you truly are.  It won’t even matter that you didn’t save as much money as you hoped, paid off that credit card, got that new job, or even lost a few friends.  While many people continue to frown upon New Year’s resolutions, I welcome the opportunity for people to start taking personal assessments of their lives in order to become the person they were created to be.

Resolve to be a trendier more fashionable you in 2016

Here are a few tips on making the most out of your New Year’s resolutions or goals:

1. Take some time and do some personal reflection.  Write down everything that you accomplished, what made you smile or laugh, or how you’ve helped someone.  Here you can also write down your “challenges” and ways to overcome them.
2. WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS!  I can’t stress the importance of the Bible verse “Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it, Habakkuk 2:2”. 
3. Set a completion date for each goal and hold yourself accountable.
4. Revisit your goals weekly, monthly, or quarterly to make sure you’re on track to complete them.  Use the calendar on your phone or buy a small daily planner to keep with you.
5. And last, don’t beat yourself up if you didn’t meet your goals or keep your resolutions.  Life happens, it’s perfectly OK. Acknowledge it and keep it moving.

Whether it’s the end of the year or just a random day that you have an epiphany, it’s ALWAYS a great time for self-reflection but don’t dwell on the negative. When you post anything on social media, you open yourself up to criticism and being victim to the eye-rollers.  You never know who is paying attention or watching your moves.  Give yourself more credit than you currently do, you’re worth it!

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