Setting Successful New Year's Resolutions
A version of this originally appeared on LifeHack.org
If you're making New Years Resolutions in 2018, it's important to make sure to be clear on what your resolutions are and why you want them. Maybe you're looking for a healthier lifestyle or maybe it's about finding new career opportunities. Talk about your goals with close friends and family to ensure the success of this time-consuming process.
After you've gotten your goals down, consider the following tips to help you stay on track throughout the year.
Goals Are Not Resolutions: The major mistake people make with new year's resolutions is that they often are reaching for their goals. Goals are where you want to be in the long-term, but resolutions are what we need to set to get there. For example, if your goal is to lose weight this year, then your resolution should be that you will exercise more and eat better every day. However, if your goal is to get into a healthier weight range by 2019, then your resolution should be that you will exercise more and eat better every day to achieve that goal.
Determine What You Want: Determine what it is you want to do and why. Figure out even the smallest actions which will bring you closer to your ideal. If you lose motivation halfway through the year, it will be important to find the small things. This can make an average person feel as if they're not achieving anything all year, but it's a way to ensure that small actions end up becoming big actions. For example, say that your goal is to earn more money in 2018. List three small actions you can take to get closer to this goal, such as asking your boss for a pay raise or making a sale by going out of your way.
Create specific statements: The benefit of setting success-oriented goals is that it gives you something specific to work towards during the year. If you say "I want to become financially stable" in the beginning, it isn't clear that this exactly means what you want. You should be more specific about your financial situation and how it will affect you. You are more likely to achieve this goal if you set a specific statement like "I want to pay off my credit card debt by the end of 2018."
Be flexible and realistic: Make sure that there are some wiggle room into your resolutions. For example, if you know that you're going to have to travel a lot in January 2018, then make sure that you don't set a resolution which requires constant activity and movement. Instead, set a goal which tells you when you will be traveling and when you will begin to rest.
Think of New Year's Resolutions as "check points": When setting your resolutions, think of them as milestones. It is okay to have a few small resolutions along the way which will lead up to your ultimate goal. For example, if you need to lose weight, then start by making one small resolution: "I will eat five healthy meals per week. This may not seem like much, but this will lead you to your ultimate goal of eating healthy each week.
Make it measurable: There should be some way that you can measure and see your progress over the course of the year. If there is no way to measure your success, then it will seem as if you're going in circles with this resolution. For example, instead of saying "I want to live a healthier lifestyle" say that "I want to go on a meal plan for the next three months and lose 20 lbs. This will give you concrete goals which will help you throughout the year.
Be positive: Conclude with your goal statement. If you have reached a resolution, it is important to be happy that you are on the right path. Instead of saying "I want to lose weight," you should say "I have already lost 10 lbs and I look forward to losing another 20." or "I have gained 15 lbs and I am going to make a small change this week so that I can start losing again.
This article was written by Travis Lovelha, a consultant with The Life Coach Training Center. Travis has been in the personal and professional development industry for over ten years and has helped hundreds of people create better memories, build great relationships, and become more successful. Connect with him on Facebook or Twitter.
Resolutions: The New Year's Resolutions That Last. [ARTICLE START]
A version of this originally appeared on LifeHack.org
Most people make resolutions publicly on December 31, but there is a new tradition for New Year's Eve. Take a moment to think about what your goals are for the coming year. If your goal is to get fit, then you likely have several tiny steps that will lead you to your final goal.
Conclusion
Resolutions are easy to make, but they aren't so easy to keep. Think of resolutions as "check points." When you have reached a check point in your resolution, be sure to be happy that you made it this far. You may want to go further than what you planned on doing, but don't feel pressure to set a high bar every single year.