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Remember those promises we made to our selves about 4 months ago?? How are those things working out for you?

Planned on heading to the Gym?

Yea .. me too. Why do we torture ourselves with the promise of change and then forget about the consistency within the commitment? Sine last August I have gone to the gym a total of 32 times …

Not very proud of it. I could definitely have been better but I make a concious effort to understand I could have been worse!

I think the biggest mistake we make when it comes to resolutions is we focuse all our energy on how close we are to completing the goal, resulting in us ultimately giving up if we feel we haven’t accomplished anything. We lose sight of how much tread we have already made. That’s an accomplishment too! Don’t get stuck on how far your goal may be. Congratulate yourself on how far you have come.

If your goal was to lose 40 pounds by summer and you find yourself not loosing 10 as of yet, it what is it is, feel pride in yourself in even losing the 10 in the first place. Focus more on your diet. Fill up on veggies and protein daily. Focus on walking for simply 30 minutes a day. Small goals over time lead to big results. Remember it only takes 30 days to form a habit!

Travel more?

Were you planning on getting out on the open road more this year? Find yourself not even making it to the corner thus far? Not a problem!

If traveling more was a resolution you wanted to keep this year, the good news is, it’s really within your reach. Even if money is an issue. The reason why I say this is because it doesn’t take much to travel. People just give themselves a false sense of what a “vacation” or “travelling” really is. There are so many ways to make a vacation affordable.

Many major hotel chains have a membership program. Marriott has the Marriott Bonvoy Program … Hiton has the Hilton Honors. These programs give you points for your nights stayed at any of their properties. You can redeem these nights for FREE stays at any property of you choosing. Now you can get these nights from stays at any hotel within the brand (i usually rack them up at the lower cost chains) and then redeem at the 5 Star chains. For Marriott, I love to stay at the Residence Inns, TowenPlace Suites, or Spring Hill Suites. My favorite being the Residence Inn. I choose these because they come with breakfast included. This is a major expense. With this included it leaves me more money to spend on activities or souvenirs. You can find these rooms moderately priced on discount travel sites sometimes even groupon! You can also go directly to Marriott.com and search the hotel with open dates. This will give you an over all month by month rate plan and you can choose to vacation over the lowest rate dates shown. Reserve your room and put some gas and the car and your done!

You don’t have to go far. Explore your cities next city. Live in a small town? Get a room in the city. Drive to the nearest state and get a room. The room in itself makes you feel as if you are on vacation. Many hotels come with pools and gyms, this FREE activitie can be worth it on it’s own. Giving a sense of wellness and relaxation. Get out and walk around, smell the air, see the culture. Sometimes a weekend away not to far from home is all you need to feel that you have had some time away. You don’t need to fly. You don’t need to compete on social media on who has had the most exclusive or expensive travels. Just travel.

Another tip while traveling: FIND YOUR CLOSEST DOLLAR STORE! Now this may be a little drive away from your hotel. You can save more by ensuring you pack well and bring a lot of the comforts of home. However, dollar stores have come a loooooooong way! My favorite will always be Dollar Tree. You can find clothing, household items, souvenirs, toiletries for the LOWWWW Lowwwww ! Walk out spending $20 and made out like a bandit. Stocking up on juices or sodas is always a smart idea. Snacks are a must. These store are guaranteed to be lower cost than your major retailers as well as give more bang for your buck the the hotels concession store or 7/11. Traveling with children makes you in need of something at all times. Look up one of these on your GPS app for a cost effective alternative to your next travel session.

Spend more time with friends?

Were you looking to get out more this year? Maybe finally be that social butterfly you’ve been keeping locked inside? I know it’s hard to get in some good ol adult time when you have to juggle the age old adulting consequence – BILLS & FAMILY. But even this can be achieved in small doses, if your committed. Carve out 1 hour a week. 1 HOUR A WEEK! Commit this time to being social. Have brunch with a friend you haven’t seen in a while. Go to the mall with a friend and window shop. Meet up at a coffee house for some morning coffee and a side of gossip. Take in an art show and invite a friend. Have a spa day with your aunt. Call your cousin over for a wine & movie night. 1 night a week. Pick the best night for you and make it happen. Plan ahead (at least 1 week) and stick with it. Rotate your friends list weekly as well to ensure you are getting out there and keeping up with it.

Wherever you may be with your resolution this year make sure you stay focused on it and focused on your why. Stay committed. Print out a calendar page and write it out. Hang it on your bedroom door and make a concious effort to look at it everyday!!

Good luck friends & god speed.