If you are like most people, you will undoubtedly make a resolution or two in the next few days. Maybe you want to lose weight? Maybe to stop a bad habit? Or maybe start a good habit? Whatever the reason, you are not alone as over 58% of us will make at least one resolution (according to Statistic Brain). Unfortunately, only 8% of us actually achieve some level of success with our resolutions.
Here are a few ideas to assist you in maintaining your resolution through-out the year.
Don’t shoot for the moon. The old adage of shoot for the stars and if you miss you’ll hit the moon does not apply here. Most people start with a huge goal and when they miss-step, drop the resolution altogether. A friend of mine posted on Facebook in November that their goal at the start of the year was to lose 25 pounds…..and they only had 35 pounds to go! Shoot for a smaller more attainable mark and once you hit it, stretch it out to the next mark. So shoot for a 5 pound weight loss. Once you hit that, make a new mark of 5 pounds more. And so on.
If you DO miss a goal, don’t quit! Reset and start again! You do not know what outside influences might get in the way of you making your mark. Life happens! Reset, and begin again! If you win more battles than lose, you will eventually win the war! January 1st is not the only day that you can make a resolution.
Partner with someone that has the same or similar goals. Is it any wonder why Spin Class and Group Exercise have both grown tremendously over the past few years? Being a part of a like-minded community can assist you in furthering your goals and achieving long term success in ways you may have never before imagined!
Make your goal bigger than yourself. I know of a friend that could never quit smoking. He tried every year to do so and always failed. Until the day he found out that he and his wife were going to have their first baby. Right then and there his paradigm shifted and his motivation for quitting smoking was exposed. He quit and has never gone back to the habit.
Use pictures to mentally remind yourself of your goal. If you are trying to lose weight, maybe you hang a picture on your fridge that reminds you not to snack. Or if you are wanting to save for a vacation but always waste money on frivolous things like Starbucks or fast food, maybe put a picture on your phone to remind you of where it is you want to go. Use your phone (as if you don’t have it in your hand right now) to set reminders to take your vitamins, drink more water, or exercise more. Use your past self to remind your present self of what your future self wants to achieve!
These five suggestions are not the only five ways to assist in achieving your New Year’s resolutions. But they can help. And if they do, drop us a comment below and share with us what worked for you. And share this blog with your friends…..please and thank you!
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