With December drawing nearer and the prospect of a whole new decade looming over us, it’s time we begin reminiscing our 2019.

The hills and valleys, the successes and failures — these are what makes our year. If you reach deep enough into the trenches of your mind, you might even see the now crumpled piece of paper you had originally written some optimistic goals on at the start of the year. 

If you’re like the majority of people who weren’t able to complete your resolutions this year, here are some tips if you plan on trying again. 

1. You can begin working towards your goals at any time. 

The biggest misconception surrounding resolutions is that you have to wait until a defined moment to begin them. It feels satisfying to have what feels like a clean slate to kick off some new goals, but realistically, how much is stopping you from up and changing your life right now?

We give ourselves a bunch of reasons as to why we can’t begin our goals at the moment, but if we reframe these ‘setbacks’ as different starting points towards a specific goal, we can be more productive.

Let’s say you choose to start going to the gym as a resolution but your setback is that you can’t afford a membership. Look at getting a membership or finding different ways to work out as your starting point instead of seeing them as barriers to your goal. Everyone has different starting points. Your goal might be more attainable than you think, you just need to start a little further back. 

2. Keep yourself accountable.

Sometimes when we set our goals, we might give ourselves a little too much credit. Setting a goal to write in a diary every single day might be a little ambitious for someone who has perpetual writer’s block or has difficulty finding the quiet time to do so. 

Try something more realistic, such as writing when the feeling comes or setting aside a weekly time to write and building from there. Understanding your own strengths and weaknesses is essential — figure out what you can handle and work upwards. 

3. Add attainable goals that you know you can reach.

Give yourself some freebies. Let’s say you know you’re going to reach a milestone in your area of interest. You’re on track to reach level four in piano and you know for sure you’re going to hit that goal this year. Put goals like this on your list. Sometimes, just a reminder that you’ve reached other achievements can give you the extra motivation you need.

4. Remind yourself of why you chose those resolutions in the first place.

What made you decide to try and achieve this goal? What situation were you in when you decided that this was something you had to change? These are some questions you should ask yourself when you’re writing down your goals. Remembering what spurred you on to change is great in times when things seem difficult. 

5. Remember that not achieving a goal isn’t the end of the world.

Setting goals are important. They give us something to look forward to and help us avoid stagnation. However, things don’t always turn out how we want them to be. Take unmet goals in stride, learn what works and what doesn’t and incorporate them into future goal setting. You have time to try again, and this time, you can do so with a little extra insight. 

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Tomilola Ojo/ Culture Editor