New Years Resolutions for Two

Written with love, by Felicia Zammit-McMann

Ah, the New Year! It’s time for reflecting on the year gone by (usually way too fast), feeling hopeful for the year ahead, and setting resolutions for a better you in the New Year.

I don’t know about you, but I never set resolutions. I feel like they always kind of set you up for disappointment because, more often than not, they are not realistic goals. I’m going to stop worrying about the small stuff (that takes more than a year to master, I’m sure), I’m going to travel more (well, that’s great if you can afford it, but things happen and money gets tight), I’m going to lose 75 pounds and run a marathon (um, ok…great). You start off strong and then, more often than not, fizzle out before the end of January.

Instead of resolutions, I prefer rather to always commit to doing something bigger, and better, and more fun and exciting – no matter if it’s January 1st or June 1st. You should want to do all of the above not because it’s the New Year, but because you should do it for yourself, no matter what the calendar says.

I challenge you to do something different this year:

Make your “resolutions” for two. 

Here’s why…

Bleudog Fotography

Say you really do want to lose 75 pounds and run a marathon. Making this resolution together automatically gives you an accountability partner, and it’s always easier to reach a goal when you are accountable to someone else for reaching it. If one or both of you need to shed a few pounds, you now have a cheerleader, coach, and if you are competitive, you can make it into a fun game (though, gals, men lose weight so much faster than women, so you may lose just by default). If one partner is an avid runner and the other isn’t – you now have a coach. If neither of you run, you are learning something new together.

If you want to travel more, work with your partner to make three lists of places to go: one with real “vacation qualities,” say going to Europe or Hawaii; another with weekend getaways; and the other with staycations. Save your money then see how the year starts to progress. If one of you gets a promotion or a super big raise, take a trip on the “big list” – like celebrating a great accomplishment; if things kind of remain the same, pick a trip on the weekend getaway list; if things get tight, do a staycation. By making three lists, you always have a trip to look forward to, no matter what.

If you want to stop worrying about the small stuff, guess what? I bet that’s going to help your partner, too! Work together to communicate through issues that have been trigger points. Communicating better is not only something that will help you this year, but for years to come.

So, I’m interested to know if anyone has made any “resolutions” for two. What were they and how did they go? Do you have any for this year?

Achievable New Year's Resolutions

Written with love, by Kim Riegel

Happy 2015! Another year has come and gone. Now it's time for fresh starts and making resolutions for things to change in the new year. Whether it is that goal to lose 10 pounds, work out more, eat better, or not to get too stressed out when planning your wedding, this is that time of the year to set goal for yourself!

Setting a goal is wonderful. The problem is how many years go by and those goals are never achieved for one reason or the next. While the intentions are good, the actions may never properly follow through to fully achieve that goal. Maybe the goal is too broad, or too big, or the timeframe is too small, and what is needed to achieve the long-term goal is to set up small, achievable little goals! If you are getting married this year, maybe a goal you have set for yourself is to lose weight and tone up for the wedding. While that all sounds great, that is a broad goal. The best way to achieve a big goal is to achieve small ones along the way.

Broad Goals are A BIG No-No

Instead of wanting to lose weight and tone up, a specific goal would be to lose 10 pounds in six months and lift weights two times a week. Now you have something tangible to work with. In fact, you can even break it down more and set tiny goals such as losing 2 pounds a month and lifting weights eight days a month. Now you have set a very achievable, realistic small goal that could help you achieve the overall final resolution.

Hold Yourself Accountable

By holding yourself accountable and achieving small specific goals, this will show you are able to move on the path towards the big goal with the motivation to continue on.  You see that dress on the hanger and are motivated to look and feel your best on that wedding day. Make small achievable goals! The wedding day is the big goal, the final outcome where all of your hard work will pay off! Write your big resolution down. Track your small achievable goals. Make the small goals set in a reasonable time frame so when you achieve them you will feel motivated to continue on!

A lot of people fail on their quest to fulfill resolutions because they don't know how to realistically get there or just give up. People give up when they don't see results. Results are achieved by hard work and holding yourself accountable. You can achieve anything you set your mind to!

So go ahead and make that wedding day resolution for 2015! Set up your monthly goals. Track all of your hard work. Keep motivated and reward yourself for your monthly goals. Before you know it, you will be there.

Happy goal making!