For many, when the clock strikes midnight on Jan. 1 every year, a new batch of resolutions begin. Gym memberships are bought in an effort to drop a few pounds, clothes thrown out of closets with the hope that this year is finally the one you stay organized.
Oftentimes, gym memberships are canceled by March, and closets return to looking like a tornado ran through them long before that. Adjusting your mindset, life coach Jihada Garrett said, can help make 2022 the year you stick with your goals.
“New Year’s resolutions are great in the sense that it’s a great time to think about how we can improve ourselves and create the reality we want,” Garrett said. “There are a number of ways we can do that. We have to tie our goals to a bigger picture, and it’s important to adopt a proper mindset to make sure you’re ready to make a shift in your life.”
Garrett suggests visualizing how you want to see yourself to motivate you to make changes. Further, she said reflecting on the times you overcame something difficult can give you a gameplan if you hit a roadblock carrying out your New Year’s resolutions.
Some are rethinking how they view resolutions.
Brandon Evans, co-founder of HOPE, a nonprofit dedicated to registering Indiana voters, said he’s focused on long-term habits as opposed to a “checklist” for the year.
“Instead of goals this year I’m hoping to create and adopt healthy habits and routines that will move me forward,” Evans said in a tweet.
Holding yourself accountable — while also giving yourself grace — is a good way to ensure you stick with your goals throughout the year, Garrett said.
“Don’t overcomplicate the process,” Garrett said. “Success begets success, so the more you stick to the course and give yourself permission to pause when you need to, to have joy when things are not going the way you want, the permission to start over. Just because you dropped the ball this week that doesn’t mean you have to give up. Reevaluate, pivot and keep pulling.”
Garrett, who has been a life coach for six years, opened her consulting firm, Hello, Me!, in 2020. This year, Garrett’s resolution is to “fully embrace” herself, so she can help her clients do the same.
“What I work with my clients on a lot is just getting back in touch with themselves and see what’s keeping them from accomplishing goals or being happy,” Garrett said. “Once you fix that inner part, you’re more likely to tackle goals, start businesses, writing books and just making sure you’re OK and able to embrace everything life has to offer.”
Contact staff writer Breanna Cooper at 317-762-7848 or email at BreannaC@indyrecorder.com. Follow her on Twitter @BreannaNCooper.
For more information about Hello, Me!, visit jihadagarrett.com.
