Written By: By: Shelly Anglin-Smith
Maybe it’s the word ‘new’ in New Year that does it, but invariably as the date on the calendar switches from December 31 to January 1, we seek to find a way to remake or improve ourselves. It’s sort of like dusting off the old and giving ourselves a new lease on life. But then comes the last day of February, and all that you resolved to do while the bubbly was still fresh in your glass during the countdown to midnight in the last few seconds of the past year, have now come to naught… again. But never fear. All is not lost and with a few delicately applied stimuli your resolutions can be shocked back to life in 2020.
Unrealistic Goals
First of all know that you’re not alone when your resolutions stall. The US News & World Report revealed that approximately 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail, and they usually collapse by the middle of February. A reason which psychologists give for this is that people make unrealistic resolutions, and on top of this they don’t make a plan of action to execute the resolution and thereby ensure success. Remember all those times during the year when you said you’d magically lose 30 pounds in three months but failed to even lose 5 pounds in that time frame?
Another tactic you could use to revive your New Year’s resolutions is to not call them resolutions but another word like targets or objectives. The idea here is that ‘resolutions’ might invoke thoughts of strict do-or-die type feelings. Using a word like objectives puts a positive fresh spin on the ventureto get you going again.
Then comes the new year and you go back to the same resolution again with no weekly plan of diet and exercise. You also never considered that shedding 10 pounds in 4 weeks was an unrealistic expectation. Make a Plan So the first step to resuscitating your resolution is to ensure that it is practical and attainable, and you have a workable plan to carry it out. This plan might include having people or methods to motivate you to stay on your path toward achieving success.
It might also include breaking up your overall goal into smaller milestones to achieve monthly. Once you have your plan all worked out write it down and place it in a prominent place around your home as a constant reminder and check off each goal attained. You could also record it electronically. Some people have successfully used social media to help them stay on the wagon. They start a Facebook page or an Instagram account to share their goals with others and announce when they have achieved them.
But whatever methods you use, with each milestone don’t forget to reward yourself in a way that doesn’t ruin all your hard work. Lastly, if you fall off the wagon along the way, don’t beat yourself up over it. Just get back up and resume from where you left off. After all, the great city Rome was not built in a day.
To read more. Grab our volume 10 #5 issue in stores now