Candice Thompson
In Motion Staff Writer
Ah New Years. A time full of promise and hope. A time where nearly half of Americans resolve to be a better version of themselves. Unfortunately most resolutions never make it out of the month of January alive.
According to Forbes.com only eight percent of people achieve their new year’s resolutions. With nearly 160 million Americans making resolutions, that’s a lot of abandoned good intentions. Here are some tips to stay motivated, and how to make those fleeting resolutions stick around awhile. Here is what 92 percent of those resolution makers aren’t doing.
When in doubt, KISS—Keep It Simple Silly. A common mistake is piling on the resolutions all at once. Make a list then prioritize. Pick one or two goals to focus on right now. Write your remaining goals on a calendar three months from now.
Be reasonable when setting goals and expectations. Committing yourself to hitting the gym six days a week for three hours a day may be a nice thought, but highly unreasonable when taking your previous priorities into consideration.
Change takes time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither were those bad habits. Don’t expect results overnight.
Give yourself a break, and a reward! Set mini goals and reward yourself when you reach them. This will help keep the momentum going until you reach your ultimate goal. Also, allow yourself some wiggle room. No one is perfect, and if you make a mistake don’t let it get you down. Just keep going forward.
Make your goals realistic. Losing weight is one thing. Resolving to lose 100 pounds in three months is unreasonable. The frustration alone is enough to make anyone give up.
Be clear and detailed with your goals. If saving money is on your to-do list this year, take a good look at finances! Know exactly how much is available to put away, and maybe even open a special account for just this reason. Vow to put in a certain amount each month and it will be easier to stick with a plan.
Tell the world! Friends and family are the biggest motivators, and no one wants to answer a bunch of questions as to why a goal was abandon. Achieving a goal by the sheer unwillingness to listen to a relative nagging is completely acceptable.
The most sought-after goals year after year, according to Time Magazine, are to lose weight and get healthy, save money and get out of debt, travel, learn something new and exciting, spend more time with family, volunteer, get organized, quit smoking, enjoy life, and be less stressed.
All of these suggestions are good advice, however there is one secret to achieving all of those resolutions. And it is so simple. Believe in yourself. That’s it. Simply believing is the single most important thing for realizing goals. When resolutions are made, it shows the acknowledgment for change has already been recognized.