6 Ways to Ensure You Accomplish Your New Year’s Resolutions
by Connie Jo Holmes
Many of us use a new year as an opportunity to set goals (or resolutions when they are done at the beginning of a new year). There is nothing wrong with setting a New Year’s Resolution….or two….or five! What is wrong, is when we have the best intentions, yet after only a few days, give up.
Here is a list of 6 ways to help ensure you are successful in 2018!
- Write down your resolutions. Yes. The old fashioned way. With a pen and paper. There is something about the connection between your brain and your hand and the act of writing it out that allows it to stick better.
- Review every day. Have the resolution(s) in a very visible location that you can see every day. I personally suggest taping them to the inside of your bathroom mirror. This way, as you brush your teeth for the recommended two minutes each time, you can re-read your resolutions so you are constantly reminded of them and will take action.
- Know why it is your resolution. When you write the resolution, you MUST indicate WHY it is your resolution. It is fine to want to lose weight, as an example. However, it makes it more real when you say you want to lose weight so you have more energy to play with your grandchildren, or you want to lose weight so your borderline diabetes does not become a problem. The WHY drives you. This is also stating the benefit of the achieved resolution.
- Track your progress. Make sure you have a resolution that has milestones you can reach along the way. Weight loss is another easy example for this. If you want to lose 50 pounds by a certain date, include milestones in your resolution that you will lose 5 pounds by February 1, another 5 pounds by March 1, etc., until you reach your final goal.
- Do something towards your resolution every single day. If your resolution is to write a book in 2018, then set your alarm for one hour earlier every single day and use that time to write. Whatever your resolution, it is the actions you consistently take that will make you successful.
- Accountability. Consider having an accountability friend who will keep you on target and encourage you when you may be floundering. Make sure it is someone who is strong enough to keep encouraging you even if you get snappy at them!
Here are some facts about New Year’s Resolutions according to Psychology Today:
- 50% of adults will make a New Year’s Resolution.
- 22% fail after one week, 40% after one month, 50% after three months, 60% after six months, and 81% after twenty-four months.
- The main reasons for failing are 1) unclear or vague goals; 2) failing to record your progress; 3) weak self-control.
Best of luck to you! Cheers for a fantastic 2018. OWN IT!
