ALT-4 Realistic new Years Resolutions for a better Life
And, as always happens with the passage of time, another year has come and gone. 2011 is here. Many ask what happened to '10. Others say good riddance. Regardless of viewpoint, one thing that tends to be consistent is the "New Year's Resolution." Almost everyone chooses the beginnning of a new year to resolve to change some aspect of their lives. But, are new year's resolutions in our best interests? If so, how can disappointment be averted? Is there really such thing as a realistic new year's resolution?
Research has shown that the average resolution lasts less than a month. A lot of the problem is that people make resolutions that are too lofty to begin with, then get easily frustrated and quit altogether. It becomes an all-or-nothing kind of thing. This is often the biggest problem. One bit of advice might be to dial down the expectations a little. Almost everyone wants to lose weight or to quit a bad habit or to try to be kinder to others. All of these are admirable. But what would happen if the resolver allowed for baby steps? Instead of wanting a quantifiable result, maybe one can just be happy with small improvements and build from there.
Using weight loss as an example, maybe one doesn't have to say, "I'm going to lose thirty pounds this year." It might be that this person is better served by saying, "I'd like to get more fit and try to look better." Both choices have the same expectations. The resolver is going to eat less (or better), exercise more (or more efficiently) and just make smarter choices, in general, with regards to nutrition and health. The biggest difference is the choice of words and the depth of expectations. If one resolves to lose thirty pounds and, after a month, has not lost a pound, it's easy for the person to give up. (S)he may be thinking, "I need to be down two-and-a-half pounds, by now, and nothing..." But, if during the course of this first month, with the latter resolution, the person is exercising a bit more, the person is feeling like working out, rather than that being a chore, is eating smarter, then the person is less likely to get frustrated and give up. His/her resolution is being met-if not in some quantifiable way.
The same could be said for smoking (or, some other bad habit). Rather than trying to quit smoking completely, maybe one can take it down in steps. If someone says, "No more cigarettes, ever," it's almost like (s)he's set up to fail. Habits are called habits for a reason. One doesn't just pick up and quit-at least not easily. But, if someone is a pack-a-day smoker, maybe (s)he can buy a pack of cigarettes and resolve to have this pack last two days. Just by cutting the habit in half, progress is being made. When the person feels better, has less trouble walking up stairs or long distances, maybe the motivation is in place to quit totally. Even if not, the person can still say "I'm feeling better."
The key to a successful, and realistic, new year's resolution is word choice and expectation. Setting too high a standard, or a high quantity goal, can defeat the purpose of trying to make one's life better, by being unattainable. If one sets a goal of just trying to feel a little better, and uses that as a springboard to the bigger goal (losing thirty pounds or quitting smoking entirely), one is taking step in the right direction. And, in the end, that's all we really want from a new year's resolution-just to fell a little bit better.
