Three Keys To New Years Resolution

Hopefully everyone had a wonderful holiday season and a good first week into 2019. 

I initially considered making this post on New Years Day, but it seems more fitting to do it now. I, like many of you, have made a New Years Resolution. I've had a few successes, but mostly failures. Sounds familiar? By mid March, the goal you focused on has already been forgotten and you've slipped into the same habits that troubled you the year before. We shouldn't beat ourselves up over it. It happens to all of us. But this year is new, and we have once again made our pledge to change something in our lives. I thought about the successful times and compiled a list that may help you. So without further ado, here are three tips for a successful New Year's Resolution.

1. Set a Reasonable Goal

Now this is one that tends to happen a lot. Someone will set a goal that's unreasonable, get discouraged, and give up on it. The key to this is  remembering that Unreasonable is not Unattainable. What I mean by "reasonable" has to do with commitment. If you're wanting to lose 100 lbs by next year, that is going to take an entire lifestyle change, usually consisting of a changed diet and 15+ hours of exercise per week. If you work 12 hour days and have children, is making such a steep goal truly reasonable?

Do not set a goal that you cannot fully commit to. That is unreasonable.

Instead, try setting something you can commit to. 30 minutes of walking every day is one. You can sacrifice 1 episode of a show to get up and go walking. That type of regimen does add up, and you will lose some pounds. How you frame your goal is half the battle to attaining it.

2. Make Your Goal a Part of Your Life

A New Year's Resolution is a rebirth, and often we don't treat it as such. A simple way to make this a part of your life is by simply putting it in yourschedule. Set an alarm focused solely on achieving the goal you have. When it becomes ingrained into your being, you stop thinking about it. It stops being a goal and becomes a part of you. And the reason we want this shift is change....isn't it?

3. You're Not Alone

There is a difference between announcing your goals and sharing them. When you share them, you involve someone else in your life. Whether you blatatly ask for it, or if you simply imply it, having someone who works with you on your goals is invaluble. Even if someone casually asks "how's your resolution goal?", they are holding you accountable to the promises you made to yourself. It's easier to diet and go to the gym when someone is going with you. It's easier to write a book when you know there's an audience waiting. And there are many more examples to choose from.

Change is tough. It is not a one time fix. It's a conscious choice to be different every day for the rest of your life. New Year is a beautiful symbol of potential rebirth, but it is not reality. And it doesn't have to happen on January 1st either. No matter when you start, know that you can do it. These things can help.