5 Ways to Prepare for the New Year

How many times have you set New Year’s resolutions that you never followed through on? Don’t beat yourself up about it—it’s easy to make New Year’s resolutions, but much harder to follow through on them! While there are as many New Year’s resolutions as there are people, here are five ways you can prepare for the new year to help keep your resolutions focused and attainable. These strategies will also help refresh your mindset and set new goals and manifestations so that your new year begins with energy, inspiration, and determination instead of guilt or frustration.

1) Cleansing

Cleansing your space and belongings is a great way to prepare for a new year. Take some time to go through your things and get rid of old items that are no longer useful or that hold no emotional value. Clearing out the clutter will help set you up in a positive mindset, free from any mental clutter. Then try surrounding yourself with fresh, clean items (like plants, candles and other decorations) as reminders of how you want to approach your life in 2022. Taking care of these little details will ensure you're off on a positive note before even setting goals or making resolutions—and they'll serve as daily motivation when you slip up or feel like giving up on those goals.

2) Self-Awareness

The first step toward moving on and setting new goals is to reflect on how you’ve handled things in the past. Get clear about your intentions, strengths, and where you fall short. A little self-awareness goes a long way when it comes to setting (and achieving) goals. Knowing yourself—your strengths and weaknesses—can help you set more realistic goals as well as make your resolutions more attainable. What’s worked in past years? What hasn’t? Learning from past experiences can give you clarity into what will or won’t work in 2022.

3) Planning Your New Year's Goals

Planning your goals and intentions for your New Year's resolutions is a smart way to ensure that you're ready once January rolls around. The real key, though, is planning them in advance. Many of us wait until January 1st rolls around before we do any sort of planning, but actually sit down and plan out exactly what you want from your New Year before December 31st, and you'll find it much easier to keep up those positive vibes. Remember how successful 2021 was? You've accomplished that by setting specific goals and making sure they were on track along the way with short-term milestones (like monthly check-ins with yourself or annual reviews with an accountability partner). Now it's time to do something similar in preparation for 2022!

4) Setting your Intentions

A way of setting goals in life is by having new intentions. These are things you want to achieve and go after that would bring joy and happiness into your life. Some examples of New Intentions: I am going to finish my degree in Culinary Arts, I am going to save more money, I am going to be more positive. Setting intentions is a great way of setting new goals because it allows you think about how you want your future to look instead of focusing on what you don’t have or what you don’t like.

4) Setting your Manifestations

The first step in setting your New Year's resolutions is determining what you actually want. It sounds a little cliché, but people who write down their goals are 100 percent more likely to achieve them. If you're planning on making big changes next year, it's a good idea to take some time at the end of 2021 to reflect on what you've accomplished and what your dreams are. If there are things you still want out of life, make sure that they're written down somewhere so that when 2022 rolls around, you don't have any excuses about why your life hasn't changed yet. (In addition to writing down your resolutions, write out a plan as well—how will these things come into being?) At New Year's, we reflect upon all we've learned over the course of our lives. Be present with yourself and remember that although growing older can be scary sometimes, aging does not mean growing up must be! Rejuvenate your body mindfully with self-care practices like yoga or meditation. Of course, we don't need an excuse to love ourselves more every day; however, New Year's provides a great opportunity to pause and recalibrate our focus toward cultivating greater peace of mind and inner happiness rather than focusing solely on external factors like professional success or appearance.