Here we go. It’s a New year and this is my year! I know I said that last year and/or several other years in the past, but this time I mean it. No more yo you dieting, no more putting everyone else’s needs before mine, no more of this dead end job, no more, no more, blah blah blah. I want to believe you. Chance are I don’t even know you and I still want to believe you. I don’t want you to be one of the 92% of people that don’t achieve their New Year’s Resolution (according to Forbes Magazine). I don’t like the fact that according to U.S. News “80 percent of resolutions fail by February”. As an individual who strives to be successful and help others to be, these numbers concern me. The great thing about these numbers is the fact they are not 100%, so as Jim Carey put it so eloquently in Dumb and Dumber “So you’re saying there’s a chance”. There’s a chance that you can and you will succeed. The following 4 strategies are ways to assure you not only achieve your New Year’s Resolution Goal, but you can use them with other goals in your life.
- Write your resolution down and share it with at least 3 people that support you. Just saying your resolution and/or thinking it is not good enough. Stats show you are 80% more likely to achieve a goal if it’s written. In addition when we share our goals with others we are 75% more likely to achieve them. Sharing them allows a level of accountability. When we have people we trust and that believe in us we don’t want to let them down and if they are true supports they won’t let us quit short, because they don’t want us to let ourselves down.
- Make sure your resolution is specific, it has a time frame, it can be measured and it is realistic. This can get tricky because you may not know what’s realistic. This is why it’s good to share with people that care about you and will provide honest feedback. They can help you determine what’s realistic and what’s not. I suggest you start your New Year’s off on the right foot and create a smaller goal you can achieve in 4-6 weeks then once you achieve that create another. Think of New Quarter Resolutions rather than just one for the year. You must be able to measure it and have a specific deadline. If it’s weight loss, setting a goal of losing 20-30 lbs this year is not enough. I suggest you state “I will lose 20 lbs by …. “. Keep in mind a healthy weight loss goal is 1-3 lbs of fat a week. This way if after 2 weeks you have not lost any weight you need to readjust the method(s) you are using to lose the weight.
- Plan and Stick to it. I am a fan of writing down not only my goals, but my plan of action and my schedule. I feel I learn more and I am more apt to stick to a program if I put pen to paper. Whether you use a planner, your phone, laptop, etc… having it somewhere you can reference it is important. I suggest you look at your week each Sunday and plan out your week. Going with the weight loss goal. In order to lose weight you need to exercise and have your nutrition dialed in. You should then block out times you’ll exercise that week and when you’ll food prep. Weekly allows you to make adjustments in case one week is more full than an another, but at least you’ll know each week when you’re working out, when you’re food prepping and even write down when you’ll eat then stick to the plan! If you’re goal is to spend more time with your family, block off time that you’ll be with your family, shut off your phone, stay away from the computer and be present.
- Know your Why! So you have your resolution, you wrote it down, you shared it and it’s attainable, but WHY is this your resolution? Too often we have choose a resolution because it’s the “it” thing to do. If your why isn’t big enough, you will fail! You may want to lose weight, but why? You may want to start a new career, why? Before you declare your new year’s resolution I suggest you ask yourself “why” at least 3 times. An example may be, I want to lose weight. Why? I want to look good in and out of my clothes? Why? I don’t feel confident enough in my own skin and thus I don’t want to be intimate with my partner. Ok, now we can see that your why is not just about looking good, it’s about being a person that is confident enough to be with your partner in the way you want. Know your why and you will succeed!
In closing, New Year’s resolutions can be a great thing and you can achieve them! Just know your “why”, share your resolution with others you trust, make sure you have a resolution that is attainable, measurable and you have a deadline. Finally, have a plan of execution and stay focused! Watch out 2018, we’re going to rock our resolutions!