Sticking with Your 2024 Goals

As you shut the door to 2023, you may have spent some meaningful reflection time to evaluate the last year.

What did you accomplish? What habits are you proud of? What are you wanting to adjust to this year? 

It is likely these kinds of questions and reflection time lead you to write down goals surrounding health, wellness, and various projects you wish to tackle in 2024.

Now that we are almost through the first month of the New Year, it is time to check-in.

Habits

 { A habit is best described as a routine that is repeated regularly and or subconsciously without much effort. }

Step 1: Awareness and Goal Setting

The more aware that you are about poor habits, the better chance you have to address them. For a majority of people health, wellness, and personal goals are huge topics to evaluate at the first of the year. By identifying the places, people, or activities that are linked to certain habits, the logical next step is to set particular goals.

It is best to get all your thoughts written down on paper.  Jot down deadlines on a piece of paper or pull out your calendar to block time in your schedule where you can get to work on your goals. 

By being, first, aware; then setting reasonable goals, you have mastered the first step. Well done!

Step 2: Identify Strategies to Alter your Habits

Please note: While we have put identifying strategies as your Step #2, you may find yourself coming back to this step frequently on your journey to hit your goals and alter your habits. It is important to always be aware of your journey and allow yourself time to try new strategies if one, in particular, is not working for you. Keep in mind, a strategy that may work well for others, may not work well for you. 

Here are some strategies that you can use to get started. 

The Swap Method: instead of grabbing a cocktail, consider swapping for flavored bubbly water. Instead of watching your favorite TV program on the couch, try downloading it to your tablet or phone and have it playing while you bike or walk on a treadmill.

Avoiding Method: If you are aware that a particular situation or environment is going to lead to a lapse in judgment or regression to poor habits, it is best to avoid the situation altogether. Until these newly formed habits become cemented in our unconscious thoughts, it may be best to remove all temptation. Removing “triggers” has been a proven method to help you stay motivated and on track.

Step 3: Put It Into Practice

Now that we have awareness of poor habits, we have set reasonable and realistic goals, we have thought through various methods to help us on our journey… we are now ready to put in the hard work. 

How long does it take to form a new habit?

While various habits may be easier to address/change than others, on average it can take 66 days to solidify a new habit. For some, it may take years of dedication to turn a habit into automatic action. 

According to the British Journal of General Practice, habits are “actions that are triggered automatically in response to contextual cues that have been associated with their performance.” So you will know you have successfully changed habits when it takes little to no effort to complete. It is almost like your body and mind can do the task without even thinking to do so. 

In conclusion, remember the 3 p’s: patience, practice, and perseverance.

We all know a new habit cannot be formed overnight. This is why it is critical to be patient with the process and yourself. Practice makes perfect.

Even if changes are minor and a few slip-ups occur, just know that the more you practice, the easier it will become to turn that habit into an unconscious action. Frustrating moments and setbacks along the way are inevitable. Keep at it and the habit will eventually take hold in your daily life.

Whatever your goals look like this year, remember to keep a realistic and well-balanced approach. Getting enough exercise, good nourishing foods, sunlight, community time, and plenty of rest are KEY to your success.