Mary did a double take at her calendar. “It’s March?!” she thought.

She felt like New Year’s Day where she had listed out all the resolutions she wanted to make for the year was just yesterday!

But it’s already been two months, and she hadn’t even made a single change!

If you’re like Mary, maybe you set a few resolutions at the beginning of the year that you’re struggling to keep or maybe even forgot about.

With how busy you are day in and day out, it’s common to put those resolutions on the back burner while you’re taking care of everything else, but there are simple ways in which you can keep your resolutions this year without the stress.

10 SIMPLE STEPS TO KEEP YOUR ALREADY FADING RESOLUTIONS

1. DO YOU REALLY WANT TO CHANGE?

It’s one thing to know it logically, but it’s different to feel it emotionally. A doctor or your spouse might encourage you to lose weight, for example, but if you don’t want to do it for you, then you won’t be successful.

Please understand that you are good enough, you do enough, you are enough, you have enough, and you deserve it! You deserve to have what you want to have.

If you want to make changes, then great! But make sure you’re doing it because YOU want to otherwise you are much more likely to fall of the New Year’s resolution wagon over and over again.

2. DON’T DEPEND ON WILLPOWER.

Willpower is not real. It’s not about willpower, it’s about finding your power.

Dig deep and think about why you want to do this to begin with. How will it empower you? Did you have input on your diet? Is it personalized to you, or are you just following someone else’s orders?

At ITN, we believe that personalization is key. Cookie cutter diets don’t work, and cookie cutter resolution plans don’t work either. Always remember to tailor whatever you’re doing to you for optimal success.

3. CREATE SPECIFIC GOALS, OR IGNORE THEM AND DO SOMETHING EVEN BETTER.

Your goals must be SMART!

• Short-term and long-term. Make long-term goals but focus on the short-term goals you will meet that will get you there.
• Meaningful, based on your individual values.
• Approaching something positive instead of away from something negative.
• Realistic, meaning your goal is realistically possible
• Time-framed, meaning you have set a time frame with which to accomplish your goals

Or, move beyond goals and focus on systems. When systems are in place, goals will be met by default.

Plan out food for breakfast the night before, pack lunch every evening, have a schedule to go to the gym, and create a system for picking out new recipes and meal planning. Then, you will just be following systems and the new habits and resolutions will take care of themselves!

4. REPLACE OLD HABITS WITH NEW ONES.

Drive through a restaurant for breakfast on your way to work every morning? Take a new route.

Snack late at night when you’re watching television? Paint, draw, workout, or go for a walk instead of watching television, or exchange your snacks for veggies and water.

By replacing new habits instead of just trying not to repeat your old ones, you will set yourself up for positive change and success! And speaking of that…

5. SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS.

If you don’t plan ahead and set yourself up for success, you’re ultimately planning for failure. Make tangible plans personalized to your goals so you can stay on track.

6. CONSIDER THE WORST.

No positive thinking here. Anticipate everything that could go wrong. Think about what has gone wrong in the past and make a plan for how you will overcome it when it comes up again (because chances are, it will).

By doing so, you’ll have a system in place for any challenge that tries to derail you!

7. USE EVOLUTION.

Recall a time in the past that you were successful in reaching your goals. Think beyond diet and workouts (“I did the paleo diet so why isn’t it working now?”) and consider what else was going on at that time.

How was your relationship with your significant other, if there was one? What stages were your children in? What was your financial situation? How was your mindset different?

Those situations might have changed, but what worked then will most likely work now. If your situation is completely different, it’s time to make a different plan based on where you are now.

Seek to recreate the environment that allowed you to be successful before and chances are you will have that success again!

8. MAKE SURE YOU ARE COMMITTED ENOUGH.

On a scale of 1-10, where are you in your willingness to change? To feel pain and discomfort and endure that to change something about yourself? Your weight, your attitude, your level of success – you name it.

Be honest! Think about what you might have to give up or do more or less of so you can truly change your life.

If you aren’t at an 8 or above, consider if you really want this change in the first place, and be honest!

If you don’t, let it go and be happy with who you are and where you are right now.

9. TAKE BABY STEPS.

Ask yourself this question, “What’s the one easiest, most convenient way you can move closer to your goal?”

Be mindful of the small, simple steps you’re making to change yourself, and celebrate those steps! They add up to big wins!

10. RECOGNIZE YOURSELF FOR THE THINGS YOU DID RIGHT.

The small things matter. What are the small things you did right today?

Make a point to ask yourself that question every evening and read it again every morning. This is the power of positive psychology!

The more you encourage these behaviors, the more you will do them and get closer to your goals!

TO WRAP IT UP

Even if you haven’t started on your New Year’s resolutions yet, it’s not too late! You can start today by making these simple, yet powerful, changes to stick to and reach your goals!

And always remember – at ITN, we know that personalization is key to your ultimate success. Tweak these steps as you need so you can realize your goals in a way that best suits your personal needs and schedule!

Which one of these steps will you commit to today? Share it in the comments!

If you want more, check out these 5 Simple Shifts To Accomplish Your Biggest Dream (Even If You’re A Busy Mom).