By the time you read this, you will have made and, quite possibly, already broken a New Year's resolution. It's a fact of life.
We vow to get in shape, lose weight, quit smoking or reduce our dependence on plastic. We undertake to earn more, spend less and pay down our debt. Mending relationships at home and at work, are also very high on everybody’s agenda too. But invariably, we get sidetracked.
Why don’t these resolutions stick?
That’s because they are based on wishful thinking, rather than commitment. There is a gap between our intentions and our actions. Often, not enough time was spent pondering exactly what you hope to achieve in the year ahead, how you plan to do it and where the resolutions fit into your overall picture.
Kick start your detox
There is always an emotional base and unconscious drives to everything we do or don’t do. It often helps to have a friend who's made the same resolution; so you support each other. But your reasons for doing it might differ greatly. To maintain your focus and motivation, here are a few questions to help you discover and harness your unique motivators.
1) What kind of New Year’s Resolutions do you typically set? Are your resolutions money, health, self-improvement, or relationship-orientated?
2) Why do you set these particular resolutions?
3) Why are these resolutions important to you?
4) What do you hope to gain by achieving these resolutions?
5) If you are procrastinating, what is the downside of achieving your resolution? What is the upside of continuing to procrastinate?
6) Do you believe you will be happier next year on December 31, 2010 if you are successful in achieving your resolutions?
7) What will you do to be successful?
Strategies to succeed
To maximise your chances of keeping those promises, it is essential to construct a plan of action to focus on. Here are some insights to develop practical strategies.
- Write down your goals and make sure they are about you. The desire has to come from within for you to succeed. When the goals are down on paper in black and white you'll have something to refer to later. It will be easier to adjust as you progress.
- Be realistic and be specific. Rather than; 'I want to lose weight', make it' 'I want to lose 15 kilos, at an average of 3.5 kilos per month, so I get down to my ideal weight of 70 kilos in 16 weeks. Think long term and take easy small measurable steps. If your goal is too big or unrealistic, you might be defeated before you get started.
- Work out the nuts and bolts of actually implementing your goals. You may have to acquire the skills to achieve. Consider self development courses or working in collaboration with someone else with the expertise you don’t have.
- Good habits take time but set deadlines and a time framework to reach your goals. Don't try to do too much at once or you're more likely to fail on all counts.
- Part of the change process is setback. Take a look at past actions. You may not like what you see but you can learn from mistakes and setbacks. View them as lessons for growth and make adjustments as you go along. Avoid perfectionist thinking and be overly critical of yourself and present situation.
- Keep a diary of your progress. Keeping a record (weekly or daily depending on the resolution) of what you've done well and what you could improve on, makes it more likely you'll stick to your resolution. Put a reward system in place when you reach a milestone or when you keep your focus after experiencing a setback.
New Year's resolutions can be both troublesome and rewarding. Many people make them, but few make a real commitment to them. Your effectiveness lies in spending time developing goals which truly reflect who you are and in your reasons for choosing and committing to a structured path.
