It’s almost time for the New Year and you have a list of resolutions you plan to fulfill. Right now, you are excited to get started, but if history is any indication, you’ll start strong and then fade. This is a common problem. One-third of people break their resolutions before the end of January. Fortunately, you can beat the odds by following some tips to make your resolutions stick this year.
Pick the Right Resolutions
You know why so many people fail? They pick the wrong goals. They pick resolutions that are destined to fail.
Instead of going this route, create SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound) goals. This will ensure that your resolutions can be achieved. Begin by creating a clear goal and then choose a plan for measuring your success. Also, make sure it’s achievable (i.e., losing 100 pounds this month is unlikely, but you can realistically lose two pounds a month) and relevant. You also need to set a reasonable timeline for your goals.
Focus on Achievements
Even SMART goals are often lofty. You want to make a huge change, and it’s normal to focus on how far you have left to go. That makes it easy to get frustrated and give up. For instance, if you want to lose 15 pounds and you still have 10 pounds left, you might think, “I’m only one-third of the way there. This is frustrating.” Instead, focus on the small achievement of losing five pounds. That’s why choosing measurable goals is so important. You can measure your success every step of the way.
Understand that Mistakes Happen
Does this sound familiar? You make a resolution to lose weight and then, one night, you eat a slice of cake. That is a big no-no on your plan, and you immediately feel ashamed. That shame leads to indulging in a huge bowl of pasta, and you finish that off with a brownie. Now you’ve really slipped up, so you just keep going.
If you slip up, put that mistake in the rearview mirror and focus on your goals once again. A mistake is not a reason to forget about your goals.
Now, what if you keep slipping up over and over again? Then it’s time to analyze why you keep going back to the behavior you’re trying to change. What are you getting out of it?
Figure out what benefits the behavior provides. Let’s go back to the food example. If you’re trying to lose weight but find yourself repeatedly indulging in unhealthy foods, ask yourself why. Maybe the foods calm you. If that is the case, you need to look for other ways to achieve that calm feeling. Once you find other calming behaviors, you can finally focus on eliminating your bad habit.
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What Are Your New Year’s Resolutions?
If you don’t have a resolution yet, set it soon. Then, use these tips to follow through. With the help of these tips, you can be one of the few that makes it to the end of the year with the resolution intact.
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