Written by Krystal Moore
You’re one month into the New Year and life is hectic. You may be having trouble keeping your New Year’s Resolution. Even my humble resolution – to drink less soda – has been a struggle. The caffeine withdrawal alone has been enough to drive me batty, let alone the temptation everywhere. But, I’m proud to say that I haven’t drank more than two cans of soda a week all year! Is it just a coincidence, or had I single-handedly driven Pepsi to literally enter the milk business because their sales have been so low? Regardless, here are the five tricks that have worked for me so far. Maybe it can help with your resolutions, too!
Want It: You have to want it and want it hard and not for the people who say it would be good for you but because you feel it would make you a better you in some way. I want to limit soda intake because it’s been giving me too many migraines and migraines stink.
Tell Others: If you keep it all bottled up, no one expects you to keep the goal but you so tell others so they can keep any eye out for you, as well. I told my friends and now they stinkeye me each time I grab a soda. It’s annoying but understandable.
Be Reasonable: Don’t say you want to save billions and then kick yourself if it’s only millions. Start with a goal that’s realistic and then work your way higher after your success. This is why I’m not quitting soda cold turkey: I’d only lose my mind trying. Besides, one less won’t kill me.
Make a Plan: It’s always easier to get through life when you have a plan of what you’re doing and sure, plans can go awry but that doesn’t mean give up. It just means get ready for plan B. For lunch, I will pack a water bottle and those Crystal Light mixes. If I forget, I can go and get one of the Crystal Light mixes from the store and use the water from our water cooler.
Keep Trying: Hey, people are just people. They make mistakes and then they’ll want to quit and forget it but keep going until you reach that goal you want so you can set the bar even higher next time.
As George S. Patton once said, “Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.” Good luck on your continued effort to reach your goals, and may you feel the exhilaration of victory this and every year.
So, tell us: what were your 2015 resolutions? Post your answers here or on our Facebook page.
