How to keep New Years Resolutions

1.  What exactly is your goal?  Write down the specifics: When, where…how does it look, and specifics you have.

 

2.  Why do you want it?  How is your life not as wonderful as it could be if you had what you wanted?  Write down what your life will look like in 5 years if you don’t change the habits that are keeping you from your goal, and in 10 years.  This exercise can actually be a little scary (in a good way) because when you realize where you might end up if you don’t change, it’s enough to make a big difference.

 

3.  Rewrite your goal once per week to remind yourself of exactly what it is.

 

4.  When a difficult decision arises, ask yourself whether it’s getting you closer to your goal, or further away.  A few years ago, I was in a relationship that wasn’t going anywhere, yet I had trouble leaving.  When I made my new goals and clearly decided that I wanted a more committed partner, it helped me let go of that person, because I realized they were actually pulling me further and further away from my goals.  Ask this question often, and with care, and you’ll find that you’ll make more mindful choices.  Sometimes we all have a tendency to go on auto-pilot in life, and when we are more mindful and careful, we can look at our actions with greater thought, and make more educated choices.

 

5.  Realize that making the wrong choice once in a while doesn’t completely remove you from achieving a goal.  Keep your eyes on the prize, and know that there will be ups and downs while pursuing a goal, but that the real killer of dreams is giving up.  If you have a fitness goal and you eat too much a few days, or even a few weeks it’s not the end of the world….but if that is enough to change how you are thinking and you start to doubt whether you will ever achieve your goals, then you’l remain the same.  You have to firmly believe that you can do this, and replenish this belief every day.  You’re the only one that can keep the frame of mind that you need.

 

6.  Track your progress so that you can celebrate your success along the way.  Success gives you confidence, confidence reinforces your beliefs, and your beliefs determine your outcome.  Ever little win helps you to get one step closer to your goal.  One cautionary step: Mix confidence with awareness, and still pay attention to your patterns.   When I was younger and I did my share of yo-yo dieting, I would work so hard to get where I wanted to be, and then when I was at my goal size I seemed to forget how hard I worked to get there, and I would start to overeat and indulge, and not take care of all the hard work that I put in.  Now I have more of an understanding of how to keep New Years resolutions, and I know that this also means keeping your goal in mind while you achieve as well as to maintain.

 

Make the things that you do manageable, and add a little more to what you do every week.  If you haven’t been to the gym in years, instead of telling yourself that you will go for two hours every day (which is more than you’ll ever need to do) just schedule in two thirty minute workouts, and when you have made that into a habit, add in a third workout.  Envision having the body you want, and how much more fun you’ll have when you reach your goals, and how much fun it’s going to be along the way!   Happy New Year!   xo,  Megan