Happy December 1st!
This is the last month of 2018, such an eventful (long) year. We’ve lasted through New Years Resolutions, the 147 days of January that just seemed to linger forever. I’ve posted before on how I stuck with and completed my resolutions, so I will not rehash those again.
Planning a year is easy–sticking to those plans takes self-restraint, reaching smaller, achievable, goals and knowing your self-worth. Knowing how you respond to limits, giving yourself smaller goals to give yourself those ‘feel good’ endorphins and (re) building your self-esteem along the way will help you reach those goals or resolutions.
Responding to limits. We all dislike when we can’t have something, eat a food or limit ourselves. How I reached my goals this year was to give myself permission to cheat. How? I set an amount per month I could ‘cheat’ to buy myself something, eat a food and/or get that piece of clothing I needed. Give yourself an ‘out’ when creating your goals or resolutions. This builds in a sense of freedom for yourself, so you don’t go off-track.
Smaller Goals. When creating a long-term goal or resolution, think of the smaller steps that takes. If your home is overcrowded, look at what you can donate or trash. You have all year, try not to be overwhelmed. Too much furniture? Realistically think about what your needs are: do you need 2 large sofas? Will a 6 person table be better than the 12 person formal setting? How many sets of pots and pans do you need. Take one area per month.
Self-Esteem. Rebuilding your self-esteem after a downfall, look into what you already have. For example, if one goal is your finances, think of what you can cancel and what you keep. Remember what makes you happy, movies? internet? books? sports? Reinvent what you enjoy, shop in your closets. Use this time to remember what makes you happy.
Using these goals helped me with my own resolutions back in January. I remembered I enjoyed wearing rings, so last summer, I had freed up some of my finances in the spring and gave myself a budget to buy some inexpensive rings. Throughout the year, I had to buy or rebuy items for the apartment, I kept my one form of entertainment (internet) and dug down to stick to my budget. I even paid off two credit cards, which helped my self-esteem!
Keep in mind your goals!
Brick ONeil 