Can you believe 2024 is right around the corner? Neither can we! 

A new year is a wonderful opportunity to start fresh, reset, and make your goals happen. Take this moment to reflect on how far you’ve come and to gain clarity on what it is you want to still achieve. 

As you reflect back to the start of 2023, do you feel less stressed, happier, and more in control of your life? If so, that’s wonderful and we’re thrilled for you.

Or, are you thinking, another year of feeling hopeless of continuously making false promises to yourself?

Perhaps you’ve tried several strategies to bring your goals to fruition but unfortunately, they’ve never worked out for you?

Well…with the right tools, a positive mindset and setting actionable goals – you’ll be ready to relax, renew, and work towards a new and improved you.  We all have the power within us to make our dreams come true.

Though targeting your new year resolutions and making them stick can be challenging to do, it is certainly possible. The brain is a beautiful yet complex organ and setting goals sets off a lot of activity in the brain. It’s conditioned to seek out pleasurable and rewarding experiences that are short-term or rather “quick dopamine hits” as they say.

When you are unconsciously chasing after your desires, your brain’s amygdala (the area of the brain that regulates emotional responses) will do whatever it takes to achieve an immediate response of feeling happiness. So, it’s important to understand the difference between what you want vs. what you need in the new year.

In addition, be sure to set resolutions that align with your identity, since your identity is the driver of your thoughts, which then decides your actions, and then ultimately your actions will lead to whether you follow through with your resolutions or not. 

Here are a few helpful tips to help motivate and inspire you to begin making lifestyle changes for the better and staying focused on achieving your goals in the new year. 

1. Start with small steps

As the saying goes, “slow and steady wins the race!” To achieve sustainable happiness, start your goals slowly and consistently so that your mind and body gets used to new behaviors that you can continue to build from. In other words, “chunking” your goal into smaller steps will help you achieve them sustainably. You can do this by keeping a journal or creating a checklist. Giving yourself the ability to meet your goal in small steps can help you prevent discouragement and disappointment. Your dopamine levels will give you that extra pep in your step after accomplishing several small tasks!

2. Be realistic and make it measurable

Be honest with yourself with your current availability and resources you have based on your lifestyle needs. Remember to focus on your own progress rather than on anyone else’s expectations of you. For your goal(s) to be attainable and sustainable, be sure to make it specific and measurable. By assigning a specific measurement, it will help you keep track of your progress. For example, if you want to incorporate more exercise into your life, set the amount of time such as exercising at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes a day. These goals should have a sweet balance of being challenging and just right so that it’s not too far out of reach.

3. Create a visual action plan

An action plan helps you determine when, where, how and why of your goal and what you envision it to look like at the finish line. This will help set yourself on the right path to achieve your goal and put it into action. As mentioned in our manifestation blog, a great way to do this is by using Pinterest, creating a physical or digital vision board, or writing on a magnetic calendar that you can see daily!

4. Create a reward system

The brain has a positive reaction to tangible and intangible rewards. Most importantly, if you are intrinsically motivated, then a goal is better achieved as opposed to reaching for a goal that is done for someone else other than for yourself. Whenever you achieve a “smaller” piece that is one step closer to your goal, treat yourself along the way as part of positive reinforcement.

5. Stay positive

Of course, something worth having is worth fighting for, especially when making the proper changes into your life for the better. Be sure to focus on the positive side of things rather than the negative side, as to not disappoint you. Be kind to yourself, believe in yourself and in your goals. Remind yourself of the benefits and significant impact it will have on transforming your life in a positive way.

If you’d like to learn proven methods that will keep you motivated to accomplish your goals and set new year resolutions that stick, Hypnosis in NYC.  Want to recharge your mind and body for the new year? Come see us and treat yourself to a relaxing Reiki session.   At our weekly Reiki Energy Healing Circle this month, we collectively fuel the power of manifestation and New Year resolutions at Self Empowered Minds to strengthen your mind, empower positive beliefs you have, and help rebuild new patterns in the brain to support healthier habits. With the help of our services, we hope to support you in the best way possible to fill your life to the brim with love, happiness, family, friends, health, wealth, gratitude, and joy. 

The Self Empowered Minds team hopes you all had a beautiful Christmas and holiday weekend and wishes you and your loved ones a very healthy and Happy New Year ahead!