Have you made your New Year's resolution yet?
From Electrdry Express Issue 31, 2014
Have you made your New Year’s resolution yet?
If you did, good on you! – Research shows people who commit to change are ten times more likely to alter their behaviour than those who don’t.
But the odds are still against you, with more than 90% of resolutions bound to fail! Chances are you have hit the ground running in January, throwing yourself wholeheartedly into whatever goal you set for yourself. By February it is becoming tougher to stick to your vow – the honeymoon is over, so to speak.
Here’s four ways to increase our chances of success:
- Be specific and realistic
For example, if your goal is to lose weight, come up with a healthy, realistic number you can work towards, such as ‘I will lose ‘X’ kilograms”. This way, you can break the task into manageable mini-goals and better track your progress towards success.
- Make your goal public and write it down
Otherwise, how can you be held accountable and measure your success? Treat your resolution seriously by discussing it with family and friends – by involving them in the pursuit of your goal they become your support network. Write it on a calendar or planner so it is visible to you often.
- Don’t get impatient
Don’t expect everything to change in January. Bringing about any change takes time and you don’t want to burn out before summer is even over. Your goal may take months or even years to achieve, not days.
- Expect setbacks
Don’t get depressed if you fall off the wagon. Bringing about change is often two steps forward, one step back. The important thing is to acknowledge your successes. If you do experience a setback, use Monday of the next week as your ‘reset’ day. Allow yourself to start again with no guilt.
Some Funny Resolutions
Sadly, many resolutions don’t last much beyond February but still they are probably going to be more successful than the people who came up with these beauties …
I will …
- Only get divorced and remarried once this year.
- Never again take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
- Find more accurate scales
- Not use the same excuse for not coming to work. I will think of some new excuses.
- Do less laundry and use more deodorant
- Not waste time reliving the past, instead, worry about the future!
- Think of a password other than “password”.
- Get my comma problems, under control.
- Stop procrastinating about procrastinating
- Quit making New Year’s resolutions