UF Faculty Tips: Turning New Year’s Resolutions into Reality

This year has brought many new challenges to the campus community, the country, and the world. University of Findlay faculty and staff came together to provide tips and tricks on handling this very unusual holiday season.

In this segment of the series, Jodi Firsdon, director of counseling services, addresses the best ways to make the best out of your New Year’s Resolutions. The tradition of making resolutions at the beginning of each year is practiced by many, but most people don’t follow through with them. Here are some tips to help keep your resolutions in 2021.

• Start by changing one small thing at a time. By utilizing smaller steps, you are more apt to follow through. You didn’t get here over night and it is not going to change overnight.
• Think about the goals you have for yourself and then make a plan on how you can achieve these goals. Be as specific as possible to identify the individual changes you want to make. You can’t just say I want to be healthier. What does that even mean? Maybe break it down to, “I want to go for a walk every Monday for 20 minutes” or “I won’t eat fast food more than 1 day per week”. Think about what that goal needs to look like for YOU to be successful.
• Know that change is hard. It takes at least 3 weeks for a new activity to become a habit. There will be days when you engage in old behaviors. Each day is new and you get a chance to start over.
• Get support from others. If your friends/family know your goals they can help you reach them. Sometimes it helps to have a friend working toward a similar goal so you can hold each other accountable.
• Reward yourself when you start achieving some of your goals. Make sure to reward yourself in a positive way that doesn’t undo the work you have been doing. Maybe you can buy those new running shoes you had your eye on.
• If you continue to struggle, talk with a counselor to understand some of the connections between your thoughts and behaviors. A counselor can help you look at your patterns of behavior and identify how to change them.

If you need someone to talk to or would like more information on counseling services provided by the University, visit the Counseling Services webpage, email counselingservices@findlay.edu, or call 419-434-4526. If you need immediate assistance, call the crisis hotline at 1-888-936-7116.