So...What next?

January 1st has come and past, and we've made all of these promises to ourselves to be 'better*'.

How can you keep them without going mad?

I've got a few ways that I 'better*' myself that I wanted to share with you! These methods always help me keep my promises and reset my bad habits.

1. Set Small Goals- It's easy to say- "I'm going to paint EVERY day", and then you get sick, or work happens or even, you know, life. And then you fall off the wagon and get pissed and give up. Sound familiar? Instead, create little goals for yourself, and small manageable time frames. I'm going to paint a canvas a week. So I create daily to do's that get me closer. And I take it one step at a time. Step one- Canvas a week. Step two- get my supplies together. Step three- sketch out my work. Step four- paint the background...and so on. Those can be daily steps or I can accomplish a few in a day...the point is, have a plan of attack, pick one step, do it, and do it well before you go to the next step!

2. Face Fear- there's that nasty word again. It rears it's head and places seeds of self-doubt and procrastination all over your new promises. Fight through that fear! And if it get's the best of you...start over.

3. Setbacks Are NORMAL!- Simply rededicate yourself, you can do this after you slipped on a diet- eat healthy for the rest of the day! No yoga today? Practice tonight, or twice tomorrow! Don't paint one day? So paint passionately the next. I have total PJ days where I don't do dick. Sit around, watch TV, drink coffee all day and watch reruns. I call those my recharge days. And everyone needs one every now and then! Vut the point is, you get back to it the next day or even for the rest of the day. It doesn't take a Monday or a holiday to start. It takes you, making your mind up, and meaning it!

4. Learn As You Go- I surprise myself by what works and what doesn't. Some days a pep talk works, some days it doesn't. Learn what will work for you, and use that tool...and if you know that the buddy system, or 5am isn't going to work for you then don't set that as a goal. You're sabotaging yourself before you even start!

5. Blab It Everywhere!- Accountability is key. If I tell my husband that I'm gonna do _______ for now on, he reminds me, a lot. Sure, I get pissed, but then I realize it's because I got caught going back on my word. So yell it from the rooftops. Declare it on facebook. Hold yourself accountable and you will follow through!

I made a few little goal sheets for you to print out or use as templates for your own. Use these to set your main goals in monthly increments, and post it somewhere you can see it every day. It'll help you reaffirm your promises and goals!