Tips for Making new Years Resolutions
Each New Year's Day, millions of people make resolutions. They will quit smoking, lose weight, exercise more or budget more carefully. The list could go on and on, but oftentimes the resolutions are around lifestyle or behaviors.
While gym enrollment swells during the month of January and diet products fly off the shelves, why is it that things tend to get back to normal by mid-February or so? The reason is simple. Many of the resolutions that were made for the new year around dieting or exercising are falling by the wayside, and the same can be said for countless other goals defined on New Year's Day.
Why is it that people fail with their resolutions for the coming year? What are they doing wrong? Well, one of the primary reasons that these resolutions are not kept is that they are made half-heartedly. People feel they are supposed to make a list of things to change, yet are they really ready to make those changes?
Any goal that is set without a real determination to reach it will more than likely not be met. The key to setting your goals for the New Year, or any other time, is to make them realistic. Below are some guidelines for accomplishing this task.
- Do not set more than three goals at any given time.
Rome did not fall in one day, nor can you change or improve multiple things about yourself at one time. For your New Year's resolutions, stick to one to three key things you want to do. Otherwise, you will get overwhelmed and just throw in the towel. Once you make progress with the goals you do set, then you can think about setting additional ones.
- Remember that baby steps may be necessary.
If change were easy, then you would not have to set goals to achieve it. When creating a goal, remember to be somewhat realistic about its feasibility. You may need to take baby steps.
For example, imagine that you would like to increase the distance that you jog, but you currently jog about two miles on any given outing. You may want to set a resolution to run a spring marathon.
However, a more realistic goal would be to run three 10Ks during the coming year. Once you have mastered that distance, then you can consider increasing the length of planned races. You will be achieving your overarching goal, which is to run farther, but in a way that provides you a chance to succeed.
- Be sincere.
No matter what your goal, you must be sincere about wanting it, or you will never reach it. Too many people set resolutions that they think they should do, but deep down in their hearts, they do not want to accomplish the goal.
How many people do you know who are always saying they want to stop smoking? Yet, they seem to make little, if any, effort to do so? While quitting smoking is no doubt a challenge, those who have successfully quit will tell you that they had to want to quit before they had success in smoking cessation.
When you set your goals for the New Year, do not list something that you really do not want to change. Stick to things you are serious about doing; otherwise, what is the point?
- Share your resolutions with a trustworthy person.
Sometimes things become more real to people when they tell someone else. You can even go so far as to ask someone to help you stay accountable to your goals. For example, if you have a goal of losing weight, then perhaps you commit to emailing your weekly weigh-in results to your best friend. If that will help you ensure that you measure your results each week, then it may be well worth the extra effort.
- Do not give up easily.
You may not meet your goal by following a straight path. Some journeys have ups and downs. If you are sincere about working toward your goals, then do not give up if you run into a snag. So many people make that mistake, only to find that they are then back to square one. Be firm but patient with yourself when making changes in your life.
In conclusion, New Year's resolutions do not have to be fleeting thoughts or failed daydreams. Spend a bit of time defining a limited number of goals for the New Year. Devise a plan for reaching them. Tell someone. And, be patient but persistent to move toward reaching that goal. It will be worth it, and free up space for other resolutions next year.
