At the beginning of the new year, you probably had a long list of lofty goals. Let’s not call it new year’s resolutions. Let’s call them running goals. They are probably pretty well thought of, SMART (specific, achievable, relevant, time-bound) goals that you are sure can be easily realized this year. These goals are probably listed somewhere because you’re hell-bent on being organized. You might have already started working on them and have even made progress.

But then the rest of the year start to roll in. Before you know it, it’s February and a month has already gone by. You feel like you’re losing steam and that you’re slowly losing the motivation to follow through with your goals. You might not be as committed to them, unlike your rock-solid resolve during the start of the year.

You are not alone in this though. Studies show that a lot of people (around 80%) fail at their new year’s resolution by the first week of February. So, if you don’t want to be part of this statistics, here’s a tip to keep your motivation.

Check your mindset
Stop focusing on the end goal and focus on your mindset. This will keep you going. When it comes to staying motivated and seeing your goals through, having a growth mindset can make a huge difference. Having a growth mindset means that you believe you are capable of growth and of change. It means that you know you can adapt and improve.

In contrast, having a fixed mindset will lead you to believe that your behaviors and beliefs are fixed and innate. This could trick you into thinking that the person you are today is who you are going to be forever. That belief doesn’t allow for self-improvement and can wreck your motivation when it comes to achieving your personal goals.

Let’s say one of your 2020 goals is to spend less time on social media, probably just spend 2 hours per week. Then one day, you catch yourself scrolling through your social media feeds during a slow day at work. With a fixed mindset, you realize you have reached the cap you have set for yourself, feel defeated, and strike that the goal of limiting social media time off of your goals list. With a growth mindset, you accept the fact that your processes need some tweaking, forgive yourself for this slip-up, and vow to build a better system to help you achieve your goals. Perhaps you could stash your phone somewhere you can’t easily reach it (a locked desk drawer or a locker). Perhaps you could install a mobile phone app that could block off social media sites while you’re at work.

However, you approach it, if you have a growth mindset, you will focus on forgiveness and will be celebrating your small wins instead of beating yourself up over a slight hiccup.

What’s your secret to sticking to your resolutions? Share your tips with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today.

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp