It’s easy to start the new year full of enthusiasm for change. But by this time of year, many resolutions have fizzled.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Dr Marny Lishman, a health and community psychologist, shares strategies to help you reset and achieve your goals.

“Eighty per cent of New Year’s resolutions fizzle out by February,” Dr Lishman explains. “A lot of us burst into the new year with big plans, but life gets in the way.”

For many, unexpected challenges like illness, work stress, or shifting priorities can derail progress. The key is not to abandon goals but to reset and approach them differently.

Step 1: Prioritise Your Goals

Start by listing all your resolutions. “Look at your goals and rank them from easiest to hardest,” Dr Lishman suggests. “Or, choose the one that excites you most.”

Beginning with an easy or exciting goal helps build confidence: “Achieving small wins creates momentum to tackle harder goals later.”

Step 2: Focus on One Goal at a Time

Trying to change too much at once is overwhelming.

“Pick just one goal to focus on,” Dr Lishman advises. “If you spread yourself too thin, your goals will compete for attention, draining your energy.”

Step 3: Break Goals into Actionable Steps

Broad goals like “get healthier” can feel vague.

“Break them down into specific behaviours,” Dr Lishman says. “Are you going to walk around the block? Go to the gym? Eat more vegetables?”

The more detailed, the better: “Decide when, where, and how long you’ll do each action. Put it in your calendar. Set reminders. Treat it like an appointment.”

Step 4: Use Planning and Accountability

Planning ahead prevents obstacles from derailing progress.

“Mapping out your year helps anticipate roadblocks,” Dr Lishman said. “You don’t need every detail, but having a general idea of what’s coming keeps you on track.”

Accountability also makes a difference: “Apps like Couch to 5K help break down goals and provide reminders,” she says. “Some people do better with a workout buddy or a group. If that helps you stay consistent, go for it.”

Step 5: Build Sustainable Habits

External motivation like apps or friends can fade.

“Ultimately, you need to become your own accountability partner,” Dr Lishman said. “The goal is to create habits that stick, even when your support system isn’t there.”

If you struggle with motivation, consider joining a local group: “Find a walking group or fitness class in your area. It provides structure until you can maintain the habit on your own.”

Step 6: Reframe Your Mindset

Mindset plays a huge role in long-term success.

“Instead of saying, ‘I have to do this,’ try saying, ‘I get to do this,’” Dr Lishman says. “Shifting from obligation to opportunity changes your motivation.”

By focusing on small, consistent steps, you can restart and actually achieve your New Year’s resolutions. The key is not perfection but persistence.

As Dr Lishman puts it, “Start small, stay consistent, and let your progress build over time.”

Article supplied with thanks to Sonshine.

Feature image: Photo by S O C I A L . C U T on Unsplash

Think back to a time when you were misunderstood.

What did you do next? Did you blame the others involved, either out loud or internally?

Or did you try what author Caroline Spencer suggests – in the title of her new book, Getting Over Yourself?

As Caroline said in our interview, she promotes “getting over yourself” by being deliberate, structured and disciplined about reflecting upon our interaction with others. If we pursue these opportunities for personal growth, she says, it can help us to live “more in tune with our principles and values”.

“For me, as a follower of Jesus, that means becoming more like him,” Caroline said.

The Four Stages of Self Reflection

Having spent years as a Christian communicator and leader with City Bible Forum and Moore College , Caroline says she has been diligent in her own process of letting go of self.

“I work on a healthy self-reflection habit,” she said. “I pick an experience I have had that bothers me for some reason, and there are four stages which I do.”

As outlined in detail in Getting Over Yourself, Caroline’s stages of self-reflection include scrutinising the experience, recognising what was important to her at the time, and assessing opportunities for growth.

“As a follower of Jesus, how does the Bible want me to live. [I ask myself] is there some sort of gap there in terms of how I was in that experience?” she said.

Such thorough self-examination can lead to changed behaviour in future interactions.

Caroline gave the example of how much she had recently ruminated on a meeting where she felt misunderstood.

Applying the steps of Getting Over Yourself helped her to realise the emphasis she had placed on being understood by all.

Further, she “looked for the good” from the experience, to combat her drift back toward its negative elements.

Encouraging us to “get over yourself” in all areas of life, Caroline has noticed changes in the outcomes of her interactions.

“Doing the self-reflection teaches me to ask more questions of my experiences, to challenge my assumptions, and to try to see things from different points of view,” Caroline said.

“I’ve noticed that I have taken those learnings into conversations with people. I’m better at listening now. I’m better at asking questions and hopefully making less assumptions.”

Article supplied with thanks to Hope Media.

Feature image: Photo by Milada Vigerova on Unsplash