Make New Year's Resolutions You'll Actually Keep
A new year is approaching and along with the champagne and parties comes the tradition of taking stock of the year gone by and making resolutions for the new one. Only thing is, like an episode of "The Twilight Zone," you've been there, done that, last year and the year before. All those promises made, all those goals desired. Yet they wither --- either a few days or, if you're lucky, a few weeks --- after New Year's. Then you're back to square one, back to whatever behavior you vowed to change. Not good for the self-esteem. So, in the spirit of making change easier, here are a few tips on making New Year's resolutions you'll actually keep. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Give realism a nod. If you want to get into medical school, but have an atrocious GPA, no resolution is going to get the job done. We teach our kids that anything is possible. Some things just aren't. Most of us will never be a pro football player or president. To dream more than your grasp is a great motivational phrase, but it's not useful for resolutions. To succeed, the resolution must be achievable.
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Write them down. There's something about the act of writing that transforms a mere thought into something real. Don't just stuff your resolution in a drawer to check on down the line; keep it where you can see it every day to remind you of your goals.
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Define a vision. Some people have vision boards where they cut out pictures of what they aspire to. Take your resolution and cut out a picture to go along with it to make your goal real. For example, if you want a corner office at work, cut out a picture of it. The more descriptive, the better. See yourself achieving your goal.
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Clarify your goals. Resolutions are rarely kept when the end result is amorphous. Losing weight is a resolution you may set and if you lose a pound, you achieve it. However, that isn't the kind of success you're looking for. "Lose 25 lbs. by April" or "fit into my size 4 jeans before my class reunion in August" is clear.
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Break it down into manageable parts. For example, if your goal is to write a novel by the end of next year, break down the writing into smaller, achievable components. Step 1 may be taking a class at a local college. Step 2 may be to outline the book. Step 3 may be to write one chapter a month. Otherwise, taken as a whole, the goal may seem so overwhelming that you give up.
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Cut yourself some slack. If your goal is to quit smoking and you break your resolution at the first sign of stress, don't give up! Too many people consider a broken resolution like they'd consider a stained item of clothing --- too damaged to keep. That's not true! If it were easy to achieve your resolutions, then there would be no reason to make them in the first place.
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Tips & Warnings
It's been said that new behavior takes 28 days or more to become a habit. Those first 28 days may be the hardest, so give yourself more love during this time of mental turbulence.
