The Key to a Successful New Year’s Resolution

In Who is Doug? by Doug Phelps

Make Sure You Pick the “Right” Resolution

One of the biggest reasons more than 50% of people are unable to keep their New Year’s Resolutions is because they pick unrealistic goals to start with.

Maybe your goal is too vague and doesn’t provide set benchmarks for you to achieve. Instead of saying, “I am going to eat healthier,” try something more specific like “I am going to cut soda out of my diet.”

Maybe your goal is unrealistic. Are you trying to lose weight? Instead of setting a goal for 100 pounds in a year, try something smaller and more manageable. Maybe you want to lose a pound or two or week. Or you want to get down a pant size and keep it off for the whole year.

Maybe your goal is something you feel pressured into, that isn’t something meaningful for you. This happens a lot. We set goals for weight loss, exercise, or self-improvement based on what the world is telling us we need to do. But make sure it’s something you want to do. You need to own your resolution if you’re going to achieve the outcome.

Create a Plan for Success

It’s easy to resolve to do or change something in the New Year, but having a plan in place for how you are going to do it, is the most important part. And, it’s important to know that you can’t make a big change overnight.

Try breaking your goal down into smaller parts. So, if you resolved to get rid of all the junk in your house, pick a room at a time and plan out short increments to work. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Be Prepared for Obstacles

No matter what your New Year’s resolution may be, you will face obstacles. But if you can be prepared to face those obstacles, they won’t feel as daunting when they do happen.

Mistakes happen, especially when you are trying to make a major life change. If you slip up, don’t beat yourself up. Just figure out what you need to do to get back on track.

Likewise, give yourself some flexibility and some grace. When life gets in the way, don’t let yourself be completely derailed from your goals. Regroup and enact your backup plan.

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