Steps to help you Stick to your New Year Resolutions

It’s New Year again, a time for people to reflect on their past years behaviours and promise to make positive lifestyle changes that will better their life. It is a time of the year in which we often feel we want to turn a new leaf, it is an ideal time to kick start a new phase in your life and a time when you must make your most important new year resolution.

It can be setting small attainable goals throughout the year. It is not the extent of the change that matters, but the act of recognizing that lifestyle change is important and working toward it, one step at a time. By making your resolutions realistic, there is a greater chance that you will keep them through the year by incorporating them into your daily life.

Make sure the resolution you set are not difficult to achieve and try to stick to it for your own good.

Here are seven steps to help you achieve the New Year resolution you set for yourself.

1. Just pick one thing at a time

If you are trying to change your lifestyle, don’t try to change everything at once, because It won’t work. Instead, try to pick one area of your life that you feel you need to change. Make it something concrete so that you will know exactly what change you are planning to make. If you are successful with the first change you can go ahead and make another change after a month or so. When you make small changes at a time, you will still have the opportunity to make other changes as time goes on, and it will be a whole new you at the end of 2017. This is a much more realistic way of doing it than trying to change everything at once.

2. Plan ahead

To achieve success, you need to research and identify the area in your life that needs change and plan ahead so you have the resources available when you need them. Read up on it, go to the library and get books that discuss issues that concern the area you wish to change in your life. Whether it is quitting smoking, or becoming a better person, there are books to help you prepare for it. Or use the Internet. If you do enough research you should be looking forward to making the change before the year runs out. You can as well plan for success by getting everything ready so that things will run smoothly. For example, if you are taking up running to lose weight, make sure you have the trainers ready. Then there can be no excuses.

3. Anticipate problems

There will be problems, so make a list of what they will be. If you think about it, you will be able to anticipate problems at certain times of the day, with specific people or in special situations. Once you have identified the times that will probably be hard, work out ways to cope with them when they inevitably crop up.

4. Pick a start date for your Resolution

You don’t have to make these changes on New Year’s Day. That is the conventional wisdom and beliefs most people have, but if you truly want to make changes then pick a date when you know you will be well-rested, enthusiastic and surrounded by positive people. Sometimes picking a date doesn’t work. It’s better to wait until your whole mind and body are fully ready to take up the challenge. You will know when the time comes.

5. Go for it without hesitation

On the big day go for it 100%. Make a commitment and write it down on a card. You just need one short phrase you can carry in your wallet. Or keep it in your car, by your bed and on your bathroom mirror for an extra dose of positive reinforcement.

Your commitment card will say something like:

• I enjoy a clean, smoke-free life.
• I stay calm and in control even under times of stress.
• I’m committed to learning how to run my own business.
• I meditate daily.

6. Accept failure

If you do fail, maybe by missing a walk or shouting at the kids one , or sneaking a cigarettes, don’t hate yourself for it. Make a note of the triggers that caused this set back and vow to learn a lesson from them. If you know that alcohol makes you crave cigarettes and oversleep the next day, cut back on it. If you know the morning rush before school makes you shout, then get up earlier or prepare things the night before to make it easier on you. Perseverance is the key to success. Try again, keep trying and you will succeed.

7. Plan rewards

Small rewards are great encouragement to keep you going during the hardest first days. After that you can probably reward yourself once a week with a long-distance call to a supportive friend, a siesta, a trip to the movies or whatever makes you tick. Later you can change the rewards to be on a monthly base.

Whatever your plans and goals are for 2017, plan how to achieve them, and go for it. It is your life and only you can make a change.

By: Mercy Kukah