4 steps to stick to New Year Resolutions

We all believe in the miracle of “New Year, New Me”. But the hardest part is to stick to your resolutions, or even remember what you promised yourself last year, and don’t feel discouraged if obstacles arise.

This blog post is written by our co-founder Vasilisa and is about her approach on how to stick to New Year Resolutions and maximise the chances of not giving up.

"I strongly believe in the power of small steps and habits. I see that consistency and determined actions can actually lead to the most ambitious dream."

Step 1 - Reflect on the past year

Spend time thinking about the past year. Analyse what has happened, what has worked for you, what you feel proud of, and to whom you are grateful. There are many templates for a year recap on the web, I’ve recently discovered this and I will use it this week for my year 2022 reflection

Step 2 - List your resolutions

Firstly, think about 3-5 areas of your life where you want to improve this year—for example, health, career, relationships, social impact, parenthood, etc. Then list 3-5 resolutions for each section. For example, to follow healthy eating, be active on LinkedIn, have quality time with my partner, volunteer, etc. Be realistic and prioritise your resolutions if you list too many

Step 3 - Plan your habits

Plan habits for each month of the year and challenge yourself to follow a habit for at least 30 days in a row. If you miss 2-3 days, start counting again. For example, my NY resolution is to eat more plant-based food. As you probably know, there is a social movement in January called Veganuary, that encourages people to follow a vegan lifestyle. We as the brand Grechka support this Vegan-Friendly community ​​

I am planning to reduce meat consumption for a month. One month is not a big deal for a commitment, but enough to create a habit.

Step 4 - Find community support

Once you identify your NY resolutions and plan the monthly habit challenges, find a person or a group of friends you can do this together with and report to each other. We at Grechka team did such challenges every month and reported to each other with messages or pics. This year, I’ve instilled several new habits, like turning off social media in the evening, doing morning exercise, journaling. Some of them became my daily routine.

Extra work

I also want to encourage you to believe in yourself and to use the most important ability - your imagination. Set a goal for the next year that inspires and excites you, and make a plan for how you will achieve it. Think about something completely new that you haven’t done before, like a special project launch, a marathon, a public performance, etc. It is pure magic how an inspiring goal can determine your present and make a significant shift in your daily routine for a more meaningful life.

I did this many times before, for example, I participated in a cross

-continental Bosphorus swim a few years ago. When I set this goal I couldn’t even swim. But I was so inspired, that I learned how to swim, built a community around me and launched a swimming school (that was my previous business). I even found my love as I met my future husband in the training journey and we ended up swimming together.

This past year, I imagined that it would be great to introduce our project Grechka to the supermodel Natalia Vodianova as I’ve always been inspired by her. Honestly, I had no idea how to make this real. But our mind works in such a way that when you really believe in something you start noticing opportunities (it is a positive side of a cognitive Baader–Meinhof phenomenon). So, by the end of the year, I had lunch with Natalia and she supported our Grechka Buckwheat idea. If you haven’t read about this meeting on our Instagram here is the post with the insights.

Next year, our co-founder Malika will run the London Marathon in memory of her mom. Having this goal makes her more disciplined as she pays more attention to her eating habits, sleep and training routine. We will announce her fundraising next year, but you can already donate here.

There are many guides on how to stick to your New Year resolutions, but the secret is to find what works better for you. It takes time to explore. I’ve read somewhere that self-sabotage is just a misguided self-love. So, when you feel like you fail to do something, try to listen to yourself or switch to other tactics. Anyway, I hope you will take something from this newsletter to become a better version of yourself in 2023.