You're 6 Months In on Your New Year’s Resolutions
You're 6 Months In (can you believe it?) - How Are Those Resolutions Coming Along?
Be honest, did you make New year’s resolutions this year that you have yet to stick to? If so, you’re not alone. Researchers have found that typically 77% of people are only able to keep their resolutions for 1 week, 64% keep them for one month, 50% for 3 months and only 19% are able to keep their resolutions for over one year! (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11920693)
If only New Year’s resolutions were more like leather sofas during hot summer months, we’d all be able to stick to them easily. But no matter what we do, it sometimes seems impossible to lose that weight, stop smoking, or learn a new language (among many other pledges).
If you’re feeling guilty for not being able to stick with your resolutions, here are some ways you can stay true to them:
Be Sure They are Doable
Many people set themselves up for failure when setting unrealistic goals. If your resolution is to lose 50 pounds by summer, that may not be realistic for your personal situation.
In order to be successful, you’ve got to pick the right resolution, meaning, it has got to be personal to you, it has got to be achievable by you, and you have to create a plan to get there.
Take Baby Steps
If your resolution is to exercise more, don’t plan on working out for two hours each day, six days a week. Your body won’t be able to handle that if you’ve been inactive for some time. It will feel painful and you’ll want to give up. Instead, start small and build gradually. Decide to go to the gym twice a week for half an hour, then three times a week for an hour, etc.
Tackle One Resolution at a Time
Maybe you want to lose weight, build muscle, learn Mandarin, and start writing that novel. These are all great goals to have, but good luck tackling all of them at the same time.
Your best bet is to prioritize and tackle one goal at a time. Is your health at risk? If so, losing some weight should probably be a priority. Will learning Mandarin help you get that job promotion? Then maybe that should be on top of the list. Only when you feel you have a handle on one goal and have made progress should you consider adding another resolution to your “to-do” list.
Accountability anyone?
This has to be #1. Sharing with one other person what your #1 action plan for yourself is sometimes 1/2 the battle. You've heard the theory that to know what someone is going through you need to have walked in their shoes? NO, not necessarily. Find me another human being and I will show you what's on their resolution list. Sure if weight is your #1 finding someone in the same position as you could certainly be beneficial. But we all have goals and we all meet up with challenges, a limiting mindset, derailments. Partnering with someone that is committed to being accountable to you and honest with you is the fundamental requirement. Guilt, Shame and a Dose of More Guilt Don't make yourself wrong. I am making an assumption here but chances are, whatever the resolution you made, it's most likely NOT new to you. 99.9% of all resolutions are actions (or inactions). If you are having difficulty breaking the habit that you want to do better at or add into your life, here's the good news. Your resolution results are linked directly back to your thoughts about it, you, others...depending on the resolution. So let's start getting your thinking in order - that's the root of your resolution results. The best resolution plan to give yourself is to figure out the "why" behind your action to begin with. Ready to step into a FREE 30-minute coaching call? Bring your resolution to the call and I'll give you 3 quick tips you can implement right away that will help you be closer to success. Click here to schedule.