HOW TO STICK TO YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

Resolutions aren't  really my thing. I usually like to go with the flow. I like to leave everything in God's hands and hope for the best. But experiences from the past few months have taught me a lot about the importance of making changes. The setbacks and failures that I faced during the first half of 2014 taught me that, it's not always okay to go with the flow. I learned that sometimes you have to make changes that encourages or challenges you to do things out of your comfort zone.

I have a love-hate relationship with New Year's resolutions. I strongly believe that as individuals, we shouldn't have to wait until the New Year's to DECIDE to make changes in our lives. We have to make it a daily habit to make changes in certain areas of our lives that aren't helping us grow or progress. I also believe that New Year's Resolutions are a great way to start the year off with a BANG!!!

This little post was inspired by a conversation I had with my brother a few days ago about how and why we normally fail when it comes to sticking to our resolutions (kinda explains why we both aren't big fans of resolutions but I am willing to change that this year lol). Through our conversation, we discussed several ways that can help us and everybody else stick to their resolutions and actually fulfill them. Enjoy!

CAUTION:
" 2015 won't be any better unless you renew your mind and surrender every area of your life to Christ. Next year wont be your year of change, favor, or overflow unless you die to yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus. Just because a new year changed doesn't mean that you did. So, lets save the cliché sayings about your year of favor and let's privately start passing those private wars test in your heart. Growth comes through tests...not a new year" - Heather Lindsey


1. Make a list of all your resolutions



Whatever your resolutions are and no matter how plenty they are, I advice that you list each and every one of them. One of the main reasons why most of us fail when it comes to keeping our resolutions is that we tend to make way too many promises to ourselves during the New Year's and as time goes on, we tend to forget about them or give up on them entirely. But we don't want that this year!
-So go ahead, go grab a pen and a paper...I'll wait lol
-Now list all of your resolutions. Be precise about each resolution. If your resolution is to lose weight in 2015, write down how much you want to lose, etc.
- Now that you have everything written down, sit and stare at your list for a moment. How realistic are your resolutions? Do you think you can fulfill everything on your list by the end of the year? I don't mean to discourage you or kill your dreams but you cant make a resolution about buying a car in 2015 when you don't even have a job. First things first! Cross out all unnecessary resolutions from your list and focus on the important ones.
- Finally, PRIORITIZE your resolutions. Even though everything on your list is important but I am pretty sure that you want to achieve certain things more than others. Go ahead and arrange your list based on how important each resolution is.

2. Set a due date
Look at this whole resolution thing as if it was a project or a to-do list! I get bored easily so I always try to find things or do things that put me to work. If you're like me then you shouldn't be bored at all this year, your list should keep you busy! Setting a due date for each one of your resolutions will make them more realistic and fun too. Another importance of setting a due date is to add some pressure. "The difference between coal and diamonds is pressure. This pressure is not going to break you, it's going to make you." (Joel Osteen)

3. Tell people about it.
Tell someone about your goals. This will encourage you to work harder as you want to prove to the person or people you told your dreams about, that you can do it.
- Once you have achieved your dreams, don't forget to showcase your success. Let others know about your success.

4. Practice it.
If you want to live a healthy life, just saying it or telling people about it or writing it down on a piece of paper wont fulfill that dream. You have to practice it, you have to live it.
If you want to take your relationship with God seriously, you have to live a life that will increase your desire to live for the Lord
If you want to be more confident in your skin, you have to live it, practice it.

I normally don't make resolutions but this year, there are certain things that I want to change or improve on. I encourage you all to do something different this year; step out of your comfort zones. If your list looks so comfortable, add something that's out of the ordinary for you (not anything crazy, don't go and try weed because you want to try something new and different. Try something that pleases God and something that will be good for your life!).

I wish you all the best of this year. I pray for God's abundant blessings upon your lives. I want you to believe that everything you work on this year will be successful. I love you!