As the New Year dawns upon us, so does the possibility of the new you. We always hope that the New Year will be a clean slate for us to write our life the way we want it to be. It is a beautiful belief to hold that we will regenerate and rebuild as the year starts again. So, we inevitably set standards for ourselves to meet, a version of ourselves that becomes our new inspiration. We try and try again each year but often we find ourselves falling short of the person we set out to become with full conviction on New Year’s Eve.

So, what is it that we do wrong that we become stuck in a cycle of unfulfilled resolutions and goals? Maybe it is the goals themselves. Let us look at practices that may make rewriting ourselves entirely this year a little more manageable.

Listen to Yourself

We find ourselves trying to live up to the version of ourselves that has been sponsored by someone else’s opinions and validations. It is time to quiet down the voices in your head that are not your own. Try to listen to what it is that your heart is saying. If you find yourself in the same sort of situations, maybe you're short-tempered again, maybe you skip breakfast and you are exhausted again in the span of a few hours – whatever it may be, it will be a familiar kind of distress. For situations like those, the answer usually lies within. Shut everything else out and listen to what your body and mind are asking for. Those goals are the ones you will want to commit to. It's not about what others want you to do!

Unburden Yourself

The weight you really should commit to losing this year is the one you have been carrying on your conscience and heart. Forgiveness is the universal key to feeling lighter. When it comes to holding grudges about what other people have done, it burns you from the inside out. Although there is no success formula for forgiving others, you can start by acknowledging that it is okay to let it go.

However, forgiveness is not limited to others. There are things weighing down on your conscience too. Forgiving yourself is definitely more complex, but a good place to start this year is by accepting that you are only human – with flaws, vulnerabilities, and limits.

Accepting You Are Human

Start out this year by accepting the human part of you. Do this by making your goals human, too. Set out small goals and reward yourself for whatever extent of your goals you can accomplish, this will give you the sense of accomplishment you need to be motivated to complete your resolutions. Also, make your goals about accepting weaknesses. When you acknowledge what you cannot do, your narrative turns from self-deprecating to self-motivating.

Practice Gratitude like a Habit

The most important goal for this year should be gratitude. Perception is the key to determining everything, while you may be suffering between a rock and a hard place, your outlook upon life may change your entire approach to it. Gratitude transforms the mundane into the surreal, you will realize what gold you witness every day. Every day of the new year will start feeling like a fresh start, the things that have been routine for ages will start feeling novel. When you practice gratitude like a habit, you can motivate yourself to complete all the other goals you set out for yourself too.

Your Mind and Body Go Hand in Hand

Your body houses your mind and it is up to you to make it a happy home. Set goals for your health that are manageable: hydrate, take a walk, have some greens, soak in the sun. When things may not be looking up for your state of mind, your body can always be given a boost with a little care and concern.