New Year's Resolutions: Stick to It |
|
By: Pedro T Gondim Posted: 2006-12-08 23:46:37 |
| I'm sure the New Year has encouraged you to make some New Year resolutions and raised the familiar question of: 'how am I going to keep to my New Year resolutions?' So what exactly is a New Year resolution and what can you do to give yourself the best possible opportunity to 'stick to it'?Firstly, "A New Year resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous. The name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go into effect on New Year's Day and remain until the set goal has been achieved, although many resolutions go unachieved and are often broken fairly shortly after they are set." (Wikipedia)Creating resolutions is a common and fairly easy process. The additional 'trouble' of actually committing to these resolutions is the secret to improvement. So what strategies can effectively help you accomplish these plans?The main focus needs to be directed to motivation. What motivates you to achieve those goals? There is an inherent motivator at the beginning of a New Year. A process called auto-suggestion plays a major role in this perception - people tend to train their subconscious to systemise the way they think in order to achieve a specific goal. In this case the perception is that a whole New Year can change your life almost by itself.Once you have established that you are indeed motivated, it is time for proper planning. The following guidelines should help you to create strategies for achieving your New Year's resolutions:Plan hard!Planning is a primary process to achieve any goal. New Year resolutions commonly present short-term to medium-term goals. A good approach in planning is to divide your goals into sub-goals, and achieve them progressively. Because of its regular nature, you must also consider that your resolutions are likely to change your daily activities to some extent - so you'll need to adapt to that and ensure there is enough room in your life for the required changes. In the planning process, you'll also need to define what tools or resources you will need to achieve your sub-goals (e.g. finance, time).Assess yourself and your environment!Assessing your current situation and aligning that with your pre-planned scenario will ensure your plans are kept under control. In order for your goals to be achievable, you will need a varied set of resources. You will need to identify these and make sure you have them at hand to assist in the achievement of your resolution.Now all you have to do is put your plan in place and you are on your way to achieving your New Year resolution!Reinforce and motivate!Ensuring your motivation is always at a high level will help in the achievement of your New Year resolution. Always keep in mind that you have short and medium-term goals as resolutions, and that your main objective is to achieve these goals in the planned timeframe. Invoking change is not simply planning, but also involves controlling and reinforcing.Consciously work to your plan and every time you achieve a sub-goal, give yourself a small reward. This is a great way to keep motivated. It also helps to remember and reflect on the positive feeling you had from achieving the sub-goal - this will give you the incentive to achieve future sub-goals.Also, keep looking forward and remain focused on achieving the next sub-goal and before you know it, you will be one of the few who can say they stuck to and achieved their New Year resolution! |
| Trackback url: https://article.abc-directory.com/article/1258 |