Losing That “New Year” Motivation? Here Are 5 Tips To Keep You Going

Ah, that fresh New Year motivation.

You start out the year strong: you’ve defined your goals, written out your intentions, and set milestones that you’d like to achieve. You see the vision of all that you can accomplish, and for those first few weeks, that January motivation keeps you going.

But, inevitably February hits, and the New Year inspiration starts to dwindle. Life gets busy, your priorities may have to change, and your dedicated enthusiasm slowly turns to indifference.

If you’ve been hit with that post-New Years slump, you’re not alone. But rather than giving up on your intentions completely, this February is a great time to reconnect with your motivations and find ways to keep moving towards your goals.

Here are 5 tips to keep your motivation going well into the New Year.

 

1. Start Small

Focus on small daily habits that help you work towards a larger goal. You know that saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day”? Well, it’s true—and you can apply that philosophy to your major goals for 2022. If you set out to achieve something big (like, running a half marathon or taking up a totally new skill), start small and build up from there.

Instead of attempting to hit 10 miles on your first run, start with 3 shorter jogs a week to establish the habit. It’s much easier to maintain small, conscious changes that help you build towards your bigger goals.

2. Track Your Progress

One of the greatest motivations is seeing how far you’ve come. Commit to a monthly check-in: at the beginning of each calendar month, set some time to go through the highlights of the last few weeks.

If you’re more old-school, keep a journal with goal lists and reflections that you can come back to. There are also tons of great apps available that can help you track milestones as you work towards your goals—we love Strides for tracking goals and habits.

3. Get Support

In order to reach great heights, we have to surround ourselves with great people. A strong support system will help you in innumerable ways: they can help you stay accountable, share resources to assist your goals, collaborate with you when you need it, and give you honest feedback.

If you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed, open up to someone you trust. And when you have a big win, savor the moment with them, too.

Or, best of all: find a network of people that are committed to the same goal as you. If you want to read more books, join a book club to help you stay motivated and accountable. This way, you build lasting connections with people who have the same mindset as you. We can’t think of a better way to integrate a goal into your life long-term.

4. Reward Yourself

We all deserve a little pat on the back for our hard work. Take time to reflect on your accomplishments by rewarding yourself with something that makes you feel good.

But remember: your rewards shouldn’t undermine your goals. If you’ve committed to a fitness goal, why not reward yourself with some new workout gear instead of that ‘cheat meal’?

5. Stay Connected to Your “Why”

Sometimes we get so caught up in working towards a goal that we lose sight of our intention in the first place. Take time to reconnect with your motivation and remind yourself why you set out to achieve your goal in the first place. That way, if you have to shift priorities, you stay connected to the core values that motivated you in the first place.

It’s okay to be flexible in your approach if you stay rooted in your “why”.

The new year may be well underway, but that doesn’t mean you have to abandon the vision you set out for yourself on January 1. Focus on your mindset, surround yourself with good people, and commit to small habits that lead to sustainable life-long changes. And most importantly, be kind to yourself.

You are capable of more than you can dream of. Go get ‘em.