Your Mid-Year Continuing Resolution Roadmap to Finish the Year Off Strong

Last Updated on July 26, 2024 by Nicole

Now that we are halfway through the year, it’s time to revisit your 2024 continuing resolution. If you have yet to meet your goals, you are not alone. Just because the first six months have been difficult does not mean you should allow it to define the whole year. Today is the start of your second chance – another opportunity to kick things off anew with a fresh outlook. Here are a few ways that you can follow through on your 2024 continuing resolution.

How To Maintain a Continuing Resolution

You Have to Want It

One of the most telling factors as to whether you will achieve your continuing resolution is how much you want to achieve it. Having a resolution is not enough. You have to actively work for it every single day, and the willpower to do this comes from your desire to succeed. You have to want it, and you have to want it for the right reasons. Most importantly, your 2024 resolution should be for you and you alone. It should not be for anyone else or any reason aside from self-improvement or self-fulfillment.

Do One Thing at a Time

When choosing a resolution, stick to just one. By setting multiple goals, you actually lessen your chance of succeeding at any of them. It is simply too difficult to dedicate the time and energy to more than one at a time. Select just one goal and direct every ounce of motivation towards it. Remember, you can always set additional continuing resolutions later, but take it one step at a time. Plus, you will be fueled by your first success!

Find an Accountability Partner

When trying to meet your goals, you’ll find it much easier when you have someone on your side to back you up. This should be someone who is like-minded and able to hold you accountable. It’s even better if someone has the same or similar goals. They will share in your struggles, and you will be able to lean on each other for support. Consider a close friend or family member.

Get the Right Mindset

The idea of “all or nothing” is a poor mindset to have, but it’s, unfortunately, a common one regarding resolutions. The reality is that any progress is a success in and of itself. If you adopt this positive mindset before starting, you will be much kinder to yourself in the face of adversity. When you face an obstacle or hit a wall, you will be less likely to give up on your continuing resolution altogether, as many people do. This is crucial to overcoming adversity and building resilience.

Share Your Goals

Once you have decided on a personal goal, share it publicly. This could be on social media or directly with family and friends. Sharing your goals, similar to writing them, sets them in stone. All eyes will be on you to follow up with a success story. With this pressure, you will be more likely to follow through. Whether it is to avoid embarrassment or letting people you know down, it doesn’t matter. Whatever makes you want it more is worthwhile.

Create a Physical Reminder

One method to help keep you on track is creating a physical reminder of your goals. For example, make use of an inspiration board. In addition, consider tracking your failures and successes on a day-to-day basis. Be sure to write down whether you failed or succeeded regarding your goal. If your goal is to lose weight, write your weight down first thing in the morning and right before bed. If you aim to improve flexibility, track which days and at what frequency you stretched. These daily reminders will help hold you accountable.

Create Realistic Milestones

When setting a goal, choose specific milestones. If you want to lose or gain weight, it should be a number. If it is flexible, it should be related to a single pose, like splits. In other words, your goal should be measurable. The same applies to the milestones you set along the way. By setting milestones, you are working to meet smaller goals versus one single goal. It will seem much more obtainable and help spur you forward. When setting milestones, they too should be specific and measurable. Don’t set yourself up for failure from the get-go.

Reward Yourself

Along the way, be sure to reward yourself for the small successes. When you do reward yourself, be sure to do it in a way that does not conflict with your continuing resolution. This can be a slippery slope! For example, if your goal is weight loss, don’t reward yourself with food; doing so would be counterproductive and reverse the effect of all your hard work. Instead, treat yourself to some much-needed relaxation and self-care. Find something that doesn’t compromise your ability to meet your goal.

Have Patience

The path to meeting a goal is not linear. There will be ups and downs, and some days will be more difficult than others. You should expect the road to your goals to be filled with obstacles. Understanding this allows you to keep a positive mindset when things don’t go according to plan. You will find it much easier to move past these obstacles instead of giving up entirely. Remember that defeat only comes when you stop trying, so allow yourself the patience to learn and grow.

Reflect

At the end of the year (or once your personal deadline has passed), take some time and reflect. Acknowledge your weaknesses and strengths in terms of meeting your goal. Maybe you just weren’t fully committed. Perhaps you excelled at your goal by enlisting a friend to help. By reflecting on your journey, you will have a clear idea as to how you can improve. Therefore, you have a better chance of meeting future goals by replicating success in similar ways.

Celebrate Your Successes

It is so important that you celebrate your successes, even the small ones. Don’t be afraid to brag a little to friends and family or on social media. In return, you will receive some praise that you can use to propel yourself forward.  Positive affirmations, both from yourself and others will be key to your success in the long run.

Conclusion

Setting a yearly continuing resolution is about more than self-improvement. There are a number of other benefits, many of which people overlook. In addition to making it more likely that you will achieve your goals, resolutions like these also help to boost self-esteem. They are an amazing way to practice willpower and self-control. Resolutions remind us that we are solely responsible for personal happiness, our lives, and the direction that they take. When we succeed, the sense of achievement we feel encourages us to continue making positive changes in our lives, as we know that we can be successful.

Remember, even if you do not meet your goal or follow through on your 2024 resolution, any progress is a success. Let us know what your 2024 resolution was and how it is going! Do you think you will meet your goal by the end of the year, or has it shifted? Be sure to let us know in the comments!