How to Keep Your New Year's Resolutions
Tips for Sticking to Your Goals for the New Year
Dec 27, 2008
Many people make New Year’s Resolutions each year. Common goals include losing weight, getting organized and spending more time with your family. Unfortunately, these resolutions are broken often before January is over. Here are some tips to keeping the resolutions you make this New Year’s.
Setting a Reasonable Goal
When setting your New Year’s Goal, make sure that you set resolutions that are reasonable. Robi Ludwig, psychotherapist, urges people to keep resolutions small and simple. Success breeds success, so if you start simple, you will be able to work towards more difficult goals. Instead of resolving to lose 50 pounds this year, consider losing five pounds. Then, once you meet this smaller goal, you will be motivated to keep losing weight.
Writing Down Your New Year’s Resolution
Keeping your resolution may be as simple as having the goal written down. If you write down what you want to see by the end of the year, you will have a visual reminder of what you are working towards. Keep pictures, a journal, or other visual reminders of your goal. Keeping a journal can provide that motivation you need when you feel as if you are not making any headway. Looking back at where you’ve come from can help you see that you are actually making progress.
Have a Plan for Your Goals
When making a New Year’s Resolution, you should begin with what you want to change. Write it down, and schedule time to work on the goal. Develop a support system so that when you are not feeling motivated, you have support to fall back on. An accountability partner can be a huge help for meeting goals because that person will be coming back time and again to ask you how you are doing. Knowing that you have to report to someone else on your progress may help keep you on track.
Depending on your goal, there are other supports that you can get as well that will enable you to be successful. For example, if you want to quit smoking, talk to your Dr. about what kind of help there is for overcoming the nicotine addiction. If you want to gain control of your children, talk to a pediatrician, nanny or someone else you respect to get tips on how to discipline.
Setting New Year’s Goals is only the start of making changes in your life. Starting simple, writing it down, and working out a plan will help you be successful in making these changes. Build a support system around you, and come up with a plan to get back on track when you fall of the band wagon.
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