New Year, New You
True life is lived when tiny changes occur.
-Leo Tolstoy
A lot of people begin the New Year by making resolutions. We’ve all been there. We take a vow to lose weight, exercise more or spend more time with our family. We start the year with great intentions, but then we quickly relapse into old habits. Why is it so hard to stick to those New Year’s resolutions?
Here are some ways you can make your resolutions a reality this year:
1. Write down your resolutions and keep them in a visible place, like taped to your bedroom mirror or the dashboard of your car.
2. Get to the source of whatever is keeping you in a rut. Are you in a stressful relationship that causes you to eat a pint of Ben & Jerry’s every night? Are you stressed at your job and feel too tired to exercise after work? If you don’t tackle the root of the behavior, it will be much harder to accomplish your goal.
3. Be clear about what your life would look like once you achieve your goal. If you resolve to go to the gym more, how will this benefit you? Get connected to the result of your action, and you will be more likely to stick with your plan.
4. Share your resolutions with friends and family. Hold each other accountable for achieving your goals. If you want to go to the gym more, have a friend call you two or three times a week to check on you or invite them to join you.
5. Reward yourself with every little accomplishment. If your resolution is to lose weight and you lose 1 pound a week, pamper yourself with a massage.
6. Enlist help when you need it. It is so easy to think that you can do everything on your own, but sometimes you need some help. Working with a personal trainer or nutritionist might just give you the tools you need to complete your resolution this year.
7. Plan for the obstacles. Most people decide what they will do to accomplish a goal, but do not take into account the obstacles that might get in the way. If you handle the problems before they happen it is much easier to deal with problems like a busy schedule, the need for childcare, travel, or anything else that might be a likely barrier to success.
8. Know why. Many people decide to make a resolution, but are not clear why they are motivated to make this change. Identify why you want to accomplish your goal so that you can go back to your own reasons when things get tough.
Big changes do not require big leaps. Permanent change is more likely to happen gradually than through one big restrictive plan. Allow yourself to climb the ladder one rung at a time.
Happy New Year!