by Katie Giffin

By now the optimism of January has faded into cold reality (both literally and figuratively), and the reason why most of us don’t set New Year’s goals is coming back in blinding clarity: New Year’s resolutions are most often never kept. The vague goals of “being more healthy” and “taking more risks” have dissolved back into eating entire pizzas while binge-watching The Office for the fifth time on Netflix or watching the latest episode of Riverdale on the CW app.

However, just because you’ve fallen off the wagon doesn’t mean that it has to be permanent. Here are some simple ways to get back on track – even after the New Year’s resolutions have been broken.

Enjoy the journey

Results aren’t going to come immediately, so enjoy the small things and reward yourself for them! Any amount of progress is progress and is worth celebrating.

Be kind to yourself

We all have good and bad days, don’t beat yourself because you slipped for a day. If you’re feeling lost in the monotony of the routine, treat yourself. That might mean getting something like a massage or it could mean something as simple as getting coffee or buying a new pair of shoes.

Break down the goals

A vague goal like “be healthier” is daunting and unattainable. That could mean anything and there is no real way to measure the success of reaching that goal. However, if instead your goal was to drink at least 50 fluid ounces of water in a day and workout for 30 minutes, five days a week, that goal is more attainable because it is more defined. Define your goals carefully so that everyday you can slowly work towards what you want to achieve.

Create a vision board

Author and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar once said, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” Daily motivation is vital to ensuring that you achieve your goals. For this reason it’s a good idea to create a vision board so you see what you are aspiring towards every single day. This can be in the form of a physical board or can even be something like a Pinterest board. You can use this to post pictures of quotes that inspire and motivate you.