Welcome to 2013! It's that time of year again when hopes are highest and we get to set goals to do better for ourselves than we did the year before. Savings account balances increase, liquor sales decrease, and it's nearly impossible to find a treadmill at the gym. The year looks bright and we all can't wait to change ourselves and rush headlong into a brighter future. Unfortunately, by February, today is a distant memory and resolutions are slowly fading away for many of us and we forget or have given up on the goals we have set.
Here are 6 ways to keep those resolutions and help prevent falling back into old ways that we so desperately wanted to change when the New Year was fresh in our minds:
1. Keep it positive
On average, people respond and follow through on positive goals more often than they do on the the negative counterpart. Create a resolution that makes you feel better about yourself and who you are and your odds of keeping it are greatly increased. Instead of "I want to not drink as much," try "I will drink less than 75% of the year." This keeps it tangible, sets a goal, and it replaces what you're "not" going to do with something you "will" do.
2. Keep it realistic
There will be another New Year next year, and if you're successful this year you can continue to build on it next year. So keep whatever goal you set something that can realistically be attained. We've all seen the "Biggest Loser" where they lose 150 lbs in a matter of months but is that really realistic for you? If a goal is set that is far outside the realm of being achievable, it becomes much easier to give up once you realise you aren't on pace for success.
3. Keep it from getting daunting
"I will lose 50 lbs by the end of this year" is a big goal. Instead, break it up. Since you know you want to lose that weight in a year, break up the 50 lbs by 12 and set a goal for what you want to lose a month. Change it to "I want to lose 4 lbs a month.," (or round up to 5 and beat your goal for the year!) This is a much more achievable goal and 4 is a much less daunting number than 50.
4. Track your progress
Find a way to keep track of where you are at towards achieving your goal, (not in your head.) Having a way to physically see where you are at on the path to success can help keep you motivated, focused, and excited about achieving a goal. Sometimes you may find that the original goal wasn't big enough, or maybe was too big and you can make minor adjustments as needed. It's much easier to fail at a goal if you have no idea where you're at on the path to achieving it.
5. Tell someone
Tell people about your goal. Have them help keep you accountable. Have them tell you about their resolution and you help keep them accountable. Challenge each other, motivate each other, work on each other's goals together even if theirs wasn't the same as yours. Resolutions are much easier to be successful at if you're not doing on your own. If nothing else, just having a friend, spouse, or a loved one that can call you up and ask how you're doing might be just enough accountability to keep you pushing towards your goal.
6. Challenge yourself
All of this isn't to say don't challenge yourself. After all, if it's not a challenge then why would you set it as a goal in the first place? We're trying to better ourselves and even if all of these steps are follwed its going to be a challenging 2013. After all, it's the challenges and stumbling blocks we overcome along the way that makes the sweet tase of victory at the end of the road so worth it.
Good luck to everyone on their New Years resolutions this year. I truly hope you are successful. Here's looking back on a great 2012 and to making 2013 the best year anyone's ever seen!!!!
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