Every single year, most of us sit down and write out a long list of New Year Resolutions that we hope will magically transform our lives and make us healthy, wealthy and wise. And almost all of us have forgotten these resolutions, or simply given up before February comes around! New Year resolutions are inevitably overwhelming and invariably vague, and most of us try to do too much in too short a time.
So what do you have planned for 2014? Here are some suggestions on how to make better resolutions this year that you will, hopefully, stick with this time!
Don’t make a list that’s so long it scares you just to look at it! Pick two or three intentions at the most, and focus on making them work. What’s most important to you…health and fitness? Your love life? Work goals? You decide!
Be specific. Pick a start date and a date by which you should have achieved a short term goal. For instance, if you simply tell yourself that you will definitely lose weight this year, it’s easy to procrastinate. If you intend to begin a new diet and exercise routine but don’t decide when you’re starting it, it probably won’t happen. Chalk out clear start dates and timelines for completing sub-goals- like, I will start on January 1 and lose 3 kilos by April 1. Now it’s no longer vague and has a higher chance of actually happening.
Start small. Make sure your resolutions are realistic. Break them up into small doable goals. It’s all too easy to lose steam if you feel you aren’t able to keep up- and all those lofty promises will be broken before you even start!
Reward yourself… try the donkey-and-the-carrot approach. You’ve worked hard, so you surely deserve that new pair of running shoes, or that snazzy workout outfit. Every time you reach a milestone gift yourself a small something. A word of caution, however-if fitness is your goal, rewarding yourself with food will not work as it can easily get you started again on a diet of over indulgence.
If that does happen, and you do fall back on your promises, don’t give up. It’s better to try again even if you’ve slipped, rather than give up altogether. Simply regroup, and get back on track again. Remember, you have company- it’s a rare person who actually makes all his resolutions stick!
