Five Best Ways to Keep Your New Years Resolution
Happy 2010! We finally made it to the end of the decade (the new one doesn’t actually start until next year) and it is time to work on those New Year resolutions. Do you have anything you want to change in the New Year? A recent poll says that 74% of women make resolutions compared to 58% of men, though women are less likely to keep their self-promise. We all want to succeed for the New Year, so here are five tips to making that resolution last!
Keep your goals realistic.
If your goal is to lose 220 pounds this year, you are probably not going to succeed. It is better to make a goal of losing 2 pounds a week, going from one pack of cigarettes a day to 18 cigarettes, then after a week, 16 cigarettes, and so on. Before you know it, you will have significantly made a dent in what you wanted to do and didn’t deny yourself a lifestyle you have become accustomed to.
It’s all in the way you look at things.
You are more likely to fail at your goal if you make yourself think that you are “giving up smoking”, “giving up sweets”, etc… Put a positive spin on your lifestyle changes! You don’t want to deny yourself fast food, you are making healthier food choices. Don’t lose weight, add health! By thinking in a gainful way, you increase your chances of succeeding.
When in doubt, write it down.
Most self-help gurus will tell you that your chances at making something come to fruition works best if you are constantly reminding yourself of what you have set out to do. Write down your goal on a piece of paper. If you have it in writing, you are making the goal tangible. You can see what you want to do in front of you, it is more real.
Keep reminding yourself of why you have a resolution.
Before you get out of bed each morning, tell yourself “I am getting in better health, each day, because I am exercising more.” Then go over what your goals are for the day and how you are going to help yourself succeed. When you go to bed each night, before you go to sleep, remind yourself of your successes that day. If you cheated or failed in doing something, review what you can do to make things better the next day.
Breaking a habit doesn’t happen on the first try.
Persistence is the key to success. Most successful people don’t complete their goals on the first try. They have to continuously work at their resolutions and not give up if they stumble. If you find yourself binging on one day, your goal isn’t destroyed, it is set back. The next day you need to try harder and keep your eye on your long-term goal. With luck, you can beat the odds and succeed!
