Making New Year's Resolutions Count
If you're like most people, you've probably experienced the sudden burst of motivation that comes between the months of December and early January, as holiday indulgences make their way to your waistlines and resolutions to the problem come to mind for New Years. You start vowing to get in better shape, losing weight, or other variations of the same vows you’ve made many times over the past years. Sadly, New Year's resolutions are notoriously short-lived, if not completely forgotten by February. The trick to making resolutions work is to follow the same steps required to make any goal work:
Choose the Right Resolution Most resolutions are not made with serious intent and deliberation. The first trick is to choose the right resolution, for the right reasons. Actually, give some thought to what you really want and why you want it. Finally, be specific about your resolution and ask yourself is it realistic, achievable, or remotely within reach. If so, then make it official and commit to it.
Create a Plan Without a plan, you are very unlikely to succeed. The key to constructing a good plan is to identify the exact steps that you will take toward accomplishing your goal, and assigning a due date. Saying "I want to lose 15 pounds by April 30th" is much more effective than saying "I want to lose weight." If you have difficulty planning, the solution is to get help, such as hiring a personal trainer. They can help you identify all of the obstacles that stand between you and your desired goal. Once the obstacles have been identified, it is fairly easy for to generate a comprehensive to-do list for accomplishing your goal.
Stay on Track Making significant progress toward your goal may require very little discipline for those who live strictly by daily planners or journals. But for those of you who could use a little help with staying on top of details, the answer, once again, is to seek outside help. The idea is to find some external thing that keeps you motivated, such as a personal fitness trainer. They are there to keep you motivated, consistent, and provide an effective workout plan.
Remain Flexible and Keep Going Goals can and will be modified continually, if not abandoned for various reasons.
Daily dilemmas or circumstances beyond our control that frequently pop up at the most unexpected times.
Short-term and long-term priorities that constantly change.
Reevaluating yourself after a period of time to see what is and isn’t working, and seeing if your goal still reflects what you want to achieve
These obstacles are not devastating, just expect to be flexible and simply adjust things as you go and continue onward.
Recognize Your Achievements Finally, the flip-side of setting difficult resolutions is giving yourself credit for your success. Losing 15 pounds is cause for celebration, even if your original goal was to lose 20 pounds. If you are just one step closer to your goal, then you are better off than were before you began. Pat yourself on the back, give yourself a high five, or run around in circles and jump for joy. You deserve it.
Go into the New Year with a better attitude toward life and live a better lifestyle overall. Look forward, not backwards, and definitely do not procrastinate. We all need to make positive changes. One can never be totally content. Remember, I am always here for advice and help.