Happy New Year! There is a lot of advice on ways to keep your New Year’s resolutions.
I kept this to 5 points to keep it simple. Because simple wins.
Everybody knows the statistics on NYR. They aren’t great.
So, you set out to make yourself better in 2016. Great start.
This is YOUR year! I feel it too. Let’s get to it:
#1 – Write your resolutions
Write them down. All of them.
And not just once. Keep rewriting your resolutions. That act of putting pen to paper is a tried and true method for memory.
This practice will keep those resolutions top of mind and ingrain them into your subconscious. You will start thinking, “Is this activity going to get me closer to or further from my goals?”
When that thought starts popping in your head, you’re on the right track.
#2 – Set specific goals
Vague resolutions are easily broken (or forgotten if you don’t practice step 1). You will get derailed from “eat healthier.” I guarantee it.
Scenario: You will attend a party. You will be hungry. You will eat pizza or an entire bag of chips with dip (or both). It’s inevitable. Then, you’ll feel bad about failing (even only temporarily) and start down the vicious cycle to giving up.
Specific goals give you a target. A setback doesn’t mean you failed to reach that target. You just have to work a little harder next time to make up the ground you lost when you slipped.
Setting specific goals allows you to set mini milestones, which give you the confidence boost you need to keep pushing to reach higher milestones. Science backs this theory. It works.
Turn that vague resolution into a series of specific target milestones and by the end of the year, you will see some amazing progress!
Not sure how to get started? Set goals like Tony Robbins.
#3 – Keep adjusting the goals
This is huge. Let’s say you wanted to lose 5 lbs. You set the specific goal and hit it. On June 10.
What do you do for the next 6+ months? Eat whatever? Stop exercising? No. Adjust your goal.
Maybe that goal got you on the right track, but you realized you could accomplish so much more… DO IT!
Set a new goal. And keep setting new goals. All the time. Not just on January 1. Or your birthday.
Is today a day that ends in “-day” (hint: all do)? Then start now. Set a goal. Work towards it.
#4 – Know yourself
This one is tough and I’ll write more on it in other posts.
So few people really know their true self.
You need to know how to motivate yourself and the tricks that will get you going. Know how to avoid the traps.
We all have a limited amount of willpower. When that resource is tapped, we cave. So: remove distractions and your potential pitfalls. If they stay out of sight, they’ll eventually be completely out of mind.
#5 – Get Support
You need to know yourself to know what kind of support you need and how frequently you need it.
Telling people your goals can be a very good idea. It creates accountability, a helper (if you need it) and a motivation to avoid embarrassment.
Make a friendly wager with a friend with a similar goal to see who can get there first. It’ll push you both to stay on track.
Get the support of friends, family or strangers (online forums, networks of like-minded individuals are great for this) and help them too!
But… be careful who you confide in because if you tell someone your goal and they are a nay-sayer or negative at all, you could be dooming yourself.
Some people don’t want anything to change. And that includes them watching you making yourself better. So, avoid any negativity that could be lurking in your social circles.
These tips, combined with your hard work and perseverance, will see an improved version of you at the end of the year. I know it.