Are you setting some for yourself? How confident are you that you are going to achieve them?
We all know that most of these New Year’s resolutions are short lived. We’ve made jokes for years about the gyms in January versus July! Do you want to stick to your resolutions?
My recommendation is to focus on three things: patience, habits and accountability.Being more patient isn’t natural to most of us. To help me with patience I have learned to pace myself. Give yourself time frames and numbers that you are more likely to achieve. If you want to stop smoking, reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke by one cigarette a week. If you smoke a pack a day, now you will be smoke-free in “only” twenty weeks. If you want to run a 5k this year, plan on doing so in the early fall and start now by trying to run a quarter mile this month and another quarter mile each month, in only 9 months you’ll be there. Do you think breaking down your goals into smaller, simpler steps like these will help you to be more patient and more apt to stick to them?
When tasks become habit, they are much easier to complete. Think about some of the habits you already have. When I wake up I immediately go to the coffee maker, make my bed and then sit down to check my calendar. It’s just automatic. With patience and a plan you can create good habits that will help you stick to and achieve your plans. As in developing patience, set your expectations so that they are achievable.
Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Asking for help is a sign of real commitment. If you are serious about your goals, ask for help. Share your goals and find some peers to help you. Tell them your plan, report to them your progress or share your calendar. Why would someone fear or dislike accountability? I have heard that many people fear success, maybe that’s it.
Your success is my success, I hope this helps you. Happy New Year.