New Year’s resolutions have been made for many years, with origins dating back to the ancient Babylonians, who made promises to their gods at the beginning of each year. While their promises to pay back debts and return what they’d borrowed may seem outdated, it is not so different from what many people promise to do now. In fact, bettering finances and getting out of debt are very popular resolutions these days. Improving career, education, spiritual life and happiness are other common resolutions.
One of the most popular and talked about resolutions, from people in our lives as well as in the media, is the promise to improve physical health in the coming year. Whether to lose weight, quit smoking or eat healthier, we’ve all seen the influx of commercials for weight loss programs and gym memberships inundating televisions all January long, catering to these goals that are at the forefront of our minds. But then, the ads slowly seem to taper off and the local gym becomes much less crowded come February.
It is estimated that 40 percent of Americans currently make New Year’s resolutions, but only about 8 percent keep and achieve these goals. Why is it so hard to keep the promises that we make to ourselves so eagerly and honestly in January as the year rolls on?
There is no denying that it is difficult to change behaviors and stick to a new routine, especially one that has to be sustained for 12 long months. However, there is hope. Eight percent of people keep their resolutions, not 0 percent. What are the secrets that allow the 8 percent to stay motivated and focused all year long, and end the year better than they were at the beginning? Here are some of the best tips for making and sticking to a New Year’s resolution.
Set Realistic Goals
Say you want to run a marathon this year; an admirable goal. But if you’re not a runner, it’s going to be pretty difficult to focus on running 26.2 miles when you’re struggling to run the first mile on January 1st. Setting smaller, attainable, more realistic goals will make the process much easier. Even if the goal is to run a marathon, perhaps a smaller goal to work towards is to run a 5k by March and a 10k by June. Training for these more attainable goals is easier than biting off a whole marathon at once and still lets you experience achievements and successes throughout the year. This helps to keep motivation levels high.
Breaking down a resolution by month or quarter can also help keep goals on track to be achieved by year-end, as well as understand what has to be completed by when to enjoy success. When people make resolutions that are extreme and aspirational, it can be so daunting that they have little chance to succeed and give up because of fear and intimidation before they even begin. Wouldn’t you rather set a smaller goal of losing 20 pounds and achieve it than give up on your goal of losing 75 pounds entirely? It is much easier to add more onto a resolution once a smaller goal is achieved, since changing behaviors and habits can be the hardest part of all.
Set Specific And Tangible Goals
Common goals like reading more, volunteering or losing some weight are actually not very good resolutions to make because they are too general and too vague. These resolutions are easy to get out of because there are no numbers to hold the resolver to them. If you volunteer once this year you have technically achieved your goal, but that was probably not what you really wanted to achieve. It is much easier to stick to a specific goal because it forces you to plan ahead and be accountable all year. Vow to volunteer once a month, go to the gym three times a week, or read two new books every month. These specific numbers will force you to think about choices on a daily or weekly basis and keep them at the front of the mind. It is also a good way to track progress throughout the year so as to avoid a December scramble. If you miss your goals one month, reevaluate for the next month. There’s no need to scrap the whole year when you can adjust and make up the differences.
Make It Known
Telling friends and family about your resolution is a good way to stay motivated because you are making a promise to others, not just yourself. Even making a sign or a chart to hang in a visible location to document your progress makes the resolution something you are reminded of and accountable for. Today, lots of people start blogs or share their goals on social media in some form. By making goals public, people feel a commitment to keep up with the goal for themselves and for those who follow and track their progress. Even if your blog doesn’t have hundreds of followers, just knowing that you have declared your goal publicly and that there are people who could be paying attention can help with motivation. If you choose not to start a blog, declaring your intent to keep a promise can help. Most likely, those you share with will help motivate and support you with your goal and it will become a team effort.
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