New Year's resolutions, as popular as they are, unfortunately often end in failure. According to surveys, most of us lose our enthusiasm by February and set aside our grand plans until the end of the year. The good news is that we likely make the same mistakes. We're here to help you avoid them!

Don’t just plan for a year, think long-term!

Why is planning for your long term future more beneficial than just planning for one year? You can read about it in more detail in one of our previous articles, but the essence is that you help yourself a lot more if you think ahead for 3 or even 5 years instead of just 365 days! By doing so, you’ll be able to formulate a more accurate and realistic goal for one year. Moreover, according to the suggestion of coach Gábor Cséffalvay, it’s worth outlining our entire life journey because we can draw a lot of inspiration from our past for our future!

Set realistic goals and break them down into steps!

Bikini body in a month? Running a marathon from scratch? Going vegan overnight for a meat lover? Some people succeed with drastic changes, but if you’re not part of that lucky group based on your experiences, feel free to break down your ultimate goal into smaller steps. It may turn out in time that it’s not realistic to complete a full marathon within a year, so instead, prepare happily and confidently for a relaxed half-marathon! When it comes to changing lifestyles, then start with meatless Mondays, then add one meat-free day per week (and so on). If you have time to adapt to the changes, it’s much more likely that you’ll stick with them in the long run, and you won’t have to suffer!

Find what motivates you in your resolution!

In order to stick to your resolution even in the hectic everyday life, it’s not enough to have a large goal in mind. You also need to know exactly why this goal is important to you. What is your personal motivation, and your mission? For those embarking on a diet, they are more successful if they change their eating habits not for the sake of the scale and an idealized dream body, but to live a longer and healthier life. Even Incorporating exercise can also be motivated by charity: if you prepare for that first half-marathon as a member of the “Élménykülönítmény,” you’ll be more eager to put on your running shoes even on gloomy Mondays!

Be patient with yourself!

One bad habit of modern humans is always wanting everything immediately and perfectly. It’s time to remind yourself that you’re not a robot and can’t handle everything at once, and you can’t perform flawlessly all the time. Instead of beating yourself up, realize that mistakes are not failures but part of our development! And most importantly, don’t forget to celebrate your “small” successes! Couldn’t run to catch the bus last year, but now you can run 2 km in February? Did you eat fresh vegetables with every meal this week? Your fundraising campaign is already at 20%? They all deserve a pat on the back!

Choose a goal (or goals) that also helps others!

You have probably heard that charity and volunteering not only change the lives of those who receive help but also the lives of people who help. Supporters, volunteers, and donors of the Bátor Tábor can confirm that giving to them is also a life-changing experience! Going to bed knowing that you made the world a slightly better place today is a completely different feeling. Give it a try and provide courage to seriously ill children through volunteering, regular donations, or fundraising! We guarantee that you will notice: the sun always shines above the clouds!