Every year millions of people enter into the New Year with a new set of goals. What better time to resolve to take off a couple of pounds, get healthier, start exercising, or quit addictions. Everyone wants to start off the new year fresh. The thought is good. Who wouldn’t want to start the year off as a new and better person? Unfortunately, for many (do we dare say for most) the reality is that your New Year’s resolutions are likely the same as they were last year and maybe even the year before.
In fact, according to a Forbes survey in 2013, only 8% of people actually achieve their resolution. Ouch! The question is, how do you move from the 92 percentile into the 8 percentile?
Here are some tips to help you make your resolutions a reality.
Decide what the most practical resolution is for you—don’t overload yourself with resolutions, try and pick one that is a feasible goal and focus on that task. Once you are able to achieve that goal, then you will have nailed down a system of execution that works for you and you can use the method to establish other goals. After All, who says you can only make a resolution on New Years’?
Write down a plan of execution—Going blindly into any change of life is a bad idea. Most people will choose a life-altering resolution. Quitting smoking, losing weight, controlling your temper… whatever it is it likely will be life-altering and will take a great deal of self-work to change and control your thinking. The brain is a stubborn instrument that needs to be worked on. Behavior changes only when thinking does. It is precisely for this reason that it is so important to map out a plan of execution. If you’re not sure where to start, take a moment to meditate on it. Imagine yourself where you want to be and move backward in your plan. Ask yourself, what will you need to do in order to achieve your goal, and be sure to include those in your plan of execution. Also, remember to eliminate all triggers and give your family ample time to adjust to the idea of you becoming a new you in the New Year.
Believe In Yourself and Don’t Give Up at the First Signs of Failure— Failure is a relative term. So often we fail at a task because we give in to what we perceive to be signs of failure. Sometimes we welcome failure as an easy way out of a difficult task because deep down inside we don’t believe that we can do it. In reality, failure isn’t a failure at all, but rather it is an obstacle to overcome. Failure is part of the process of success. The secret is not to use it as an excuse to give up. You want to quit smoking and you have a smoke, okay fine, don’t allow the failure to give you an excuse to give up. Instead, accept the obstacle and continue to your resolution. Trying to diet and eating too much? Allow yourself the failure, but don’t accept it as a norm. Just because you failed once, doesn’t mean you can’t achieve your goal. If you get lost going to your friend’s house, are you going to turn around and go home and accept it as a failure or are you going to get on track and find your way? Failure is a choice as is everything, so make the choice to believe in yourself more and don’t allow failure to cease your efforts.
Good luck. We hope this will be the year that you achieve all your life goals and make your resolution a reality!!
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