So you made a ton of resolutions on New Year’s Eve, fuelled by the prospect of 2013 being a clean slate. But now that life has moved out of holiday mode and into your regular routine, you’re finding that it’s not so easy to stick to what you wanted. Here’s how to make sure you fulfil your list.Image Courtesy: Mia Simone Oelofse @art.swg.co.za

1. Ask yourself: Does it really matter?
Some resolutions are made in the heat of a moment and we don’t follow through with them ‘cause they lose their lustre. Or you just figure they’re stupid. Like going on a starvation diet or cutting off all your hair. So ask yourself, ‘Is this really important? Is it what I want? Will it make my year more awesome?’ If not, then ditch them.

2. Stay inspired
As for the resolutions that do matter and are important, such as quitting smoking or chasing your dreams, find ways to stay inspired about achieving them. So create a cool scrapbook or visualisation board of what cool things will happen when you succeed. For instance, quitting smoking will mean you’ll feel healthier and your skin will look better. Stay focused on the positives of achieving what you planned to achieve.

3. Go back and take stock

Every few weeks, go back and see what’s happening with your resolutions. This will help keep you motivated to stay on track and you won’t forget about them when you’ve got other things to deal with in your life.

4. Tweak ‘em
After taking stock, don’t be afraid to change your resolutions a bit. Remember, we change all the time and what you wanted back in January might not be where you’re at when June or September roll around. So leave room for improvements and changes.

5. Celebrate your wins

Your resolutions might not be achieved quickly – you might need the entire year to get them done. But don’t let that discourage you. Celebrate any and every effort that you make towards your goal. This will help keep you focused.

6. Add a feeling to the mix

Emotions are really powerful, and by adding some feeling to what you want to achieve, you make your resolutions stronger. So ask yourself what negative emotions you felt before you made the resolution. For instance, maybe you felt like you were unhappy ‘cause you weren’t doing anything to achieve your dream. Now ask yourself how you’ll feel once you make it happen: think exuberant, stoked, meaningful, and so on. Focus on those feelings to get the action going.

7. Add new ones along the way
You don’t have to be stuck to your list – add new things you wanna achieve as the year goes on. This will make your list feel fun instead of like a chore!

8. Do something every day

We achieve things when we do something every day to work towards them. So just ‘cause you said that by the end of 2013 you want to be singing in a band, it doesn’t mean you can do nothing ‘til November and then get into gear. What you do now will help you get to where you wanna be.

9. Start immediately
There’s no time to waste! When you get a cool idea that you turn into a resolution, get working on it right away. This will push you on track to achieving it.

10. Keep a picture book of progress
Taking pictures of what you’re doing as you go along will be a fun way to record your progress and keep you motivated to stick with it. Plus, it’ll be cool to look back on everything you’ve achieved so far.

11. Get support!
We don’t need to do everything alone! Reach out to your mates for support every now and then. We could all do with a push when the going gets tough!

12. Head over to Plan B (and Z, if necessary!)
Just ‘cause you have a goal it doesn’t always mean that you’ll be able to achieve it the way you planned, so write up some back-up ideas that you can turn to. These might come in handy.

13. Enjoy it!
You know they say that all the fun is found in the journey, not the destination? Well, it’s true. So love the ride when you’re on it and your great feelings about it will definitely transform into beauty.