HAPPY NEW YEAR! Often, people make resolutions about things they want to accomplish in the New Year. An article by Kendra Cherry gives some tips for keeping your resolutions this year. (The article has been edited for space purposes)
“The start of a New Year is the perfect time to turn a new page, which is probably why so many people create New Year's Resolutions. A new year often feels like a fresh start, a great opportunity to eliminate bad habits and establish new routines. Of course, resolutions are much easier to make than to keep and by the end of January many of us have abandoned our resolve and settled back into our old patterns.
According to one survey, only around nine percent of people who make New Year's Resolutions felt that they were successful in achieving their goals. Some of the most common resolutions included losing weight, making better financial choices, quitting smoking, and spending more time with family.
So why do millions of people resolve to change at the beginning of every year? A recent series of studies into what researchers have dubbed the "fresh start effect" has looked at how temporal landmarks can motivation aspirational behaviors. The beginning of a new year seems like an opportunity for a fresh start, which is why so many people set sometimes overly lofty resolutions during these times. While this can sometimes lead people to bite off more than they can chew, such moments can also present great opportunities to overcome struggles with willpower. So what can you do to make it more likely that you will keep your next resolution?
1/ Choose a Specific, Realistic Goal Every year, millions of adults resolve to "lose weight" or "get in shape" during the next year. Instead of selecting such an ambiguous goal, focus on something more concrete that you can realistically set your sights on. For example, you might commit to losing 10 pounds or running a mini-marathon. Choosing a concrete, achievable goal also gives you the opportunity to plan exactly how you are going to accomplish your goal over the course of the year.
2/ Pick Just One Resolution While you might have a long list of potential New Year's Resolutions, you should pick just one and focus your energies on it rather than spreading yourself too thin among a number of different objectives.
3/ Don't Wait Until the Last-Minute Planning is an essential part of achieving any goal. Experts suggest that you should spend some time planning out how you will tackle a major behavior change. If you start working toward a goal without any type of plan in place, you might quickly find yourself giving up any time you face any sort of obstacle, difficulty, or resistance.
4/ Start With Small Steps Taking on too much is a common reason why so many New Year's Resolutions fail. Dramatically slashing calories, over-doing it at the gym, or radically altering your normal behavior are sure-fire ways to derail your plans. Instead, focus on taking tiny steps that will ultimately help you reach your larger goal.
5/ Avoid Repeating Past Failures Another strategy for keeping your New Year's Resolution is to not make the exact same resolution year after year. If people think they can do it they probably can, but if they've already tried and failed, their self-belief will be low.
6/ Remember That Change Is a Process Those unhealthy habits that you are trying to change probably took years to develop, so how can you expect to change them in just a matter or days, weeks, or months? It may take longer than you would like to achieve your goals, but remember that this is not a race to the finish. Once you have made the commitment to changing a behavior, it is something that you will continue to work on for the rest of your life.
7/ Don't Let Small Stumbles Bring You Down Encountering a setback is one of the most common reasons why people give up on their New Year's Resolutions. If you suddenly relapse into a bad habit, don't view it as a failure. The path toward your goal is not a straight one and there are always going to be challenges. Instead, view relapses as learning opportunities.
8/ Get Support From Your Friends and Family Having a solid support system can help you stay motivated. Explain what your goals are to your close friends or family and ask them to help you achieve your objectives. Better yet, enlist the help of others by joining a group that shares your goal.
9/ Renew Your Motivation During the first days of a New Year's Resolution, you will probably feel confident and highly motivated to reach your goal. With time, your motivation to keep your New Year's Resolution may start to dwindle. When you face such moments, remind yourself of exactly why you are doing this. What do you have to gain by achieving your goal?
10/ Keep Working on Your Goals By February, many people have lost that initial spark of motivation that they felt immediately after making their New Year's Resolution. Keep that inspiration alive by continuing to work on your goals, even after facing setbacks. If your current approach is not working, reevaluate your strategies and develop a new plan.”
If you follow MS Cherry’s tips, it is more likely that you will be able to keep your resolutions. Here’s another tip that is great to follow every year. Micah 6:8 says “The Lord has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Another good tip is to be sure and take your family to Church on Sunday!