How to Sustain Your Resolutions

We’re about 10 days into the New Year, and I’ve made pretty good effort with my resolutions this year. Here are a few of mine for context:

• re-learn how to surf (I haven’t in over a year — sad, I know)
• make new friends + strengthen current connections
• journal every day

So far, I’ve done pretty well: I’ve gone to dinner with a new friend, had friends over for a birthday celebration, I’ve written a journal entry every day, and I’m currently in the process of booking a surfing lesson in the tab over. But how do I ensure that this isn’t just New-Year’s-effort that will diminish in 30 days?

My entire life I have tried to jump from one goal to the other, not particularly articulate in the steps I take to get there. It was never the journey for me, but the destination. I would make an effort, using all of my energy, and see if it stuck. If it failed, I got bored and convinced myself that it wasn’t the goal for me, or the right time. My ADD truly enabled this, giving me an arsenal of art supplies, random skills, and unfinished projects that rest their skeletons in stuffed drawers.

The last year, I’ve had three jobs, three apartments, and a lot of stress surrounding every piece of my existence. After reflecting, I noticed that baby steps were the most sustainable. I had…