Persistence

It’s January, the month of fresh starts and new beginnings. We’re fired up and ready to tackle the habits that stand in the way of our happiness and self-improvement, so we’ve (probably) started a new routine, or put a plan into practice. That’s all well and good; however, motivation and willpower will only get us so far.

We all begin with our best intentions and will even stick with them for a while, but the ability to follow through in these new habits is another thing altogether. Sooner or later something will come up, and we will procrastinate – just until tomorrow, and somehow, almost before we even realize it, we’ve slipped back into our old ways. So, how do we keep this from happening?

With a bit of effort, sacrifice, and tenacity, we can achieve our goals. First, the idea is to not make our new habit/routine so difficult, nor too easy, that we lose the desire to see it through. When we have a goal in mind, we can simply take one small action toward that new habit we want to implement. The hardest part is just starting, but once we do, we will pick up momentum, and that will make it easier to continue. Next, we can use a reward system for persisting with the new plan. When we see the progress we’ve made, it really helps to reinforce the new habit. And last, but not least, if we do happen to slip up, we can’t let that keep us from starting again TODAY.

To persist with a goal, you must treasure the dream more than the costs of sacrifice to attain it.

Richelle E. Goodrich