Made promises to yourself on January 1st and finding them a teeny bit hard to keep? Don't feel bad, we're all in the same boat (angrily learning a new language/ using a mind gym app/ budgeting while dreaming of white wine).
We all want to be a better version of ourselves in 2014 but what if you're a constant giver-upper? The best way to stick to those big resolutions is tailor them slightly to make them a bit more manageable in the long run...
I Promise To Clear All My Debt vs I'll Be Better At Spending And Stop Buying Stupid Stuff
This is tough.Trying to clear a lot of debt really fast is satisfying but you need to start by working out what you spend money on that you don't need - take-aways, candles, porcelain ducks. Whatever you're silly spend trigger is, wean yourself off it. Save every £20 you would've spent on a new beanie or artisan chocolate Brazil nuts and be proud of your achievement.
I'm Never Going To Smoke Again vs I Will Cut Down on Smoking
Stopping paying for the pleasure to slowly kill yourself is one of the hardest things to do. Once you cave (and you will the first few times) you'll be down on yourself and feel rubbish. Think about all the times you have cigarettes: when you get up, after lunch, waiting for the bus, before you go to bed - it all adds up. Instead of having 20 have 15, then 13, then 10 and so on. Another thing you could do is buy a time delay safe, or one of those dog bowls that dispense pellets every four hours but for cigarettes.
I Won't Drinking Anymore vs I'll Stop Getting Completely Wasted
Do you feel you drinking too much or you spend too many days boozing on the trot? Learn to sit out of rounds or decide shots aren't for you (probably for the best anyway). On a normal weekday are you going home and drinking a bottle of wine in front of the TV? Do you really need that? You don't need to be teetotal if every night isn't an ode to Ibiza.
I Will Join The Gym vs I Will Exercise
All of the gyms on Earth are dreaming up ploys to get your membership in a kneejerk reaction to a new year-new you. But will you actually use it? Try this first. For January, go out running when you can or do a fitness video on YouTube (30 day shred, for example). If you keep it up then you've proved you're ready for a gym membership. Remember, weight loss is very simple - eat less, move more.
Stop Biting Your Nails vs Stop Biting Your Nails
This is just a simple case of stopping doing something. Stop doing it. There's no easy way out of this one. Stop it.
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