Should you make New Year Resolutions or Decisions?

If you are like most people you did not keep these resolutions. You may have given up by January 19th, which is the most common date that people have given up on their resolutions by. The fact is that 80% of people that make New Year Resolutions give up by the second week of February! Why do so many people fail at resolutions? What makes them so difficult to finish?

It is my belief that most people fail at their resolutions because they do not actually make the decision that this is what they need or want, but that they resolve that it is something they think they need or want. Most people do not DECIDE that this is what they want or COMMIT to achieving this goal. Then there are those that do decide and commit to these huge goals that are unattainable before they even start.

So how do you set yourself up for success rather than failure? First thing would be to make a decision and commitment of what you want to achieve. It could be you want to lose weight and get in shape, or get organized, learn something new, or quit smoking, all very common new year resolutions. Now what you ask? You are probably thinking “sure, this is what I do each year and like you mentioned earlier, I give up before I even get started.”

Now that you decided what you want to achieve, now you need to make it a measurable goal. We all want to lose weight and get fit, but honestly what does that mean? Do you want to lose 10 lbs? 30 lbs? Get fit, what exactly does that mean to you? Does that mean you can walk up a flight of stairs without feeling winded or does that mean you can run a 5k? You need to be specific as to what your goal is. Make it a measurable goal and set yourself a time frame to achievement. Remember you can always set another goal once you have achieved the first!

The most important thing is to set yourself up for success! Give yourself a reasonable timetable to achieve your reasonable goal. Once you have succeeded you will feel so good that you will be ready to set another goal, and another and another!

So, what are you going to do? Make a resolution or a decision? Want to talk about it? Click here for a free consultation and we can discuss your aspirations for your well being.