It’s that time of the year again. Oh yes, it is. The time for you to turn over a new leaf. To tell yourself you’re never going to perform that bad habit again. Or that you’re finally going to start anew this time.

Well, if you’ve ever struggled with following through with a New Year’s resolution, then congratulations! You’re human. As we all are. We all make mistakes, we all fail. But that should never stop you from picking yourself up and trying again.

As the New Year rounds the corner, here are 4 Fantastic tips that we hope could give you that extra boost to finally carry through with that resolution this time around.

1. BE FLEXIBLE, LIKE REED RICHARDS

Dr Reed Richards. Mr Fantastic. One of the most iconic, stretchy and bendable figures in the Marvel universe.

As you formulate your new year resolutions, remember this:

While it’s good to aim for the stars, also realize that there will be numerous obstacles along the way. Things will most definitely not go according to plan. Things will screw up. Deadlines may be missed.

You may aim to loose 30 pounds within 3 months. But the diet wasn’t as easy as it seemed on paper. Long working hours got in the way. And you messed up. A hamburger here. A skipped workout there.

And that’s perfectly fine. Stick as closely as possible to the deadline you set for yourself. It’s called a deadline for a reason.

But, also remember to be flexible about it. Don’t give up simply because you stumbled along the way. Don’t beat yourself up over the fact that the plan wasn’t adhered to 100% of the time.

Many of us stumble all the way on the path less traveled. The path constantly meanders, twisting and turning in ways we would never expect. What’s most important is to keep going, and never give up.

Even the greatest of our heroes fall. Reed Richards has failed multiple times in his theories, in his efforts to save or change the world. And that’s what makes them heroes. Not their incredible intellect, or massive strength. But the will to get back up again after falling.

2. BE STURDY AS A ROCK, LIKE THE THING

The Thing. Ben Grimm. You just can’t not love this guy.

 

As you formulate your new year resolutions, remember this:

There will be numerous challenges that you will encounter. There will be seemingly impenetrable barriers that will block your way. There will be obstructions the size of mountains that hinder your view.

But, hey, that’s all to be expected. The existence of such difficulties only validate the necessity of your resolution, and I commend you for taking that brave step.

I just talked about being flexible. But there’s also a time to be stubborn about your goals. Bash your head against that brick wall, as Ben would do, until either your head or it breaks.

Shrug off any unhelpful criticism that would shoot out from others simply trying to bring you down, like how bullets merely tickle The Thing’s skin.

Don’t overthink the process. Keep your head down, and keep moving forward, as Ben would do through hordes of the Mole Man’s minions.

And at the end of the day (or rather, the beginning, when you wake up), look your resolution in the eye, and tell it in the gruffest voice you can muster “It’s clobbering time“.

3. BE AS FIERY AS THE HUMAN TORCH

The Human Torch. Johnny Blaze. A truly hot headed individual. Damn these puns.

As you formulate your new year resolutions, remember this:

If your new year resolution is anything bigger than a simple habit, it has to be something that you are passionate about.

An undertaking as huge as “I will get a six pack” when you’ve never worked out a day in your life, or “I will finally attend public speaking classes and conquer stage fright” when you were absolutely terrified of giving a short presentation in school are not resolutions that can be sustained through mere willpower alone.

Unfortunately, without a strong why, the stubbornness of The Thing may not work out too well here.

Instead, find out your “Big Why”. Why are you actually doing this? Dig deep, and take your time to think about it. Are you doing it for a trivial reason i.e. because it’s something you always wanted to do, or is there something greater to this?

A “Big Why” could go as such:

• I need to be able to show my children that they can look up to me as a good example
• I need to learn this new skill as it’s a prerequisite on my personal journey to become the best version of myself
• I need to undertake this in order to honor a loved one that has passed

Notice the usage of the words “I need”, instead of “I want”.

Find out your “Big Why”, write it down, display it where you can see it every day, and let your new year resolutions burn with the intense passion of The Human Torch.

4. BE AS PERMEABLE AS THE INVISIBLE WOMAN

The Invisible Woman. Susan Storm. The heart and soul of the team.

As you formulate your new year’s resolutions, remember this:

There will be a ton of people who aren’t going to believe in you or your goals. To make matters worse, most of this disbelief will stem from loved ones and close friends. The bigger the goal, the bigger this effect.

They will give you some slight words of encouragement. A few affectionate pats on the shoulder. But, at the end of the day, at the back of their minds, they will be thinking “Meh. Told you so. Never thought you could do it”.

Unfortunately, while there’s nothing you can do to change their minds, you are in complete control of how you react to it. And, the way you should react to it is simple:

Turn invisible, as the Invisible Woman does. And let all the hate pass through you, without letting it affect you in any way.

Or, just as well, form a force field, a power that is also iconic of Susan Storm, and let the numerous projectiles of negativity ricochet harmlessly off your shield (in case you guys didn’t know, her force fields actually do block telepathy, so this is actually completely accurate!)

Never let the hate bring you down. It’s your dream, not theirs. Of course they aren’t going to believe in it or you.

But that’s why you’re a hero. Because you believe in something greater. Because you believe that you can do it. And, most importantly, because you believe in yourself.

And those are the four fantastic tips! We hope that they may have helped you as you contemplate your new year resolutions. All the best with them, and we wish you a very happy new year!

As always, if you’ve any questions at all, feel free to fire away. We were all beginners once, and there’s no such thing as a stupid question!

Interested in training together with me? Click HERE to get in touch with me, and I’ll be more than happy to meet you!