The beginning of a new year is full of traditions and often met with great optimism as it symbolizes the opportunity for a new start. With one of the most popular traditions being new year’s resolutions it can often be a room splitting topic. Hate them or love them – the truth is most of us make them, but never keep them. Whether you decide to make a resolution for your own benefit, or your equine partners this year, here are five proactive tips that can help you stay on track.
Set Your Goals
This may seem like an obvious step, but before you settle on the goal you wish to commit consider a couple of things. Firstly, is this goal something you can realistically keep? The goal you choose isn’t a limit to what you can achieve this year, but if you set a goal that feels unobtainable you will likely feel overwhelmed and stop trying. Is this goal for you? We are far more likely to keep up with our resolutions if they benefit us. This doesn’t mean that your resolution has to revolve around you. Committing to a schedule to work with your horse, volunteering with a nonprofit, or helping someone else may be aimed at helping others, but if they are activities you enjoy and bring you fulfillment they are benefiting you.
Keep It Small
Hopefully you have thought of some options for your new year’s resolution, and you know what you want to achieve. A majority of us will opt for resolutions that promote improvements in ourselves or our behaviours. Resolutions like this take time and are not completed over night. It is important to take a hard look at your schedule and work out what time you can guarantee is available each week to work on your goal. Whether it is 15 minutes once a week, or an hour three times a week – it needs to be consistent, and something you will commit to no matter what is happening around you. Remember if you start something, but don’t complete it, you are robbing yourself of the reward that only exists when you complete your goal and feel like you achieved something.
Review Your Goal After The First Month
Don’t focus on the year, start small, and review your goal at the end of the first month. Keep a log or diary of the work you have done towards achieving your goal, and if you kept to the schedule you set out in tip two – reward yourself, but remember to do so in a way that does not sabotage your resolution. On top of rewarding yourself, review the goal itself – if you think the goal is a positive to your life, continue this process throughout the year, and before you know it you’ll be ringing in next year feeling like you truly achieved something.
Build It Up
After you have committed to a routine that seems to be working, consider upping the time spent on working towards your goal. For example, if your resolution was to have 1 training session a week with your horse consider upping the training session to 2 a week. Additionally, in a scenario involving training – don’t let your horse get bored – if they have achieved an understanding and knowledge of the skills you worked on in the first month, challenge them with the next step this month.
Create A Group
Surrounding yourself with friends, family, and even strangers working towards the same goal can often provide motivation and keep you on track. Whether in person, or online, take advantage of the human connections that keep us accountable. Set each other mini goals and keep a log of how you all did that week. Not only is it an opportunity to succeed with a new year’s resolution, but it is a chance to bond and have fun!
We hope these tips help you successfully keep your New Year’s Resolutions, and we hope you will share some of your equestrian resolutions with us on our social media! We would love to see your progress.