Effective New Year's Resolutions

In the tradition of New Year’s, it has become time for resolutions.  However, I often hear people lament about starting the year strong on their path to change and then, ultimately, failing to follow through with their resolutions.  So what is the key to successfully achieving the changes you want to make and what are some of the pitfalls into which people often fall? 

One of the biggest mistakes I see in terms of making actual change begins with the goal.  Are your goals realistic?  Is the change that you wish to seek even something you can do in a year?  Often, in order to reach the goals that you have set out for yourself, you have to make drastic changes and drastic, sudden changes aren’t lasting changes.  I often point out to people that you did not wake up one day and decide to be overweight or develop a habit of yelling at your children. 

Habits, by their very nature, develop over time and it takes time to change them.  It is important to be realistic about how long it will take.  You don’t go from being a worrier to someone who doesn’t worry about anything.  You go from being a constant worrier to someone who only worries sometimes about some things and so on.  It might be valuable to break your goal into smaller milestones so you can clearly see the steps involved in making the change and so that you can feel a sense of achievement.  In my experience, the biggest predictor to the failure of a resolution is someone not feeling successful at their endeavor.  In order to achieve successful feelings while on a long journey of change, you have to set achievable milestones throughout the process.

Finally, make sure that your goals are whole life changes.  Fad diets and temporary fixes that don’t become total life changes, don’t last.  Lasting change comes from incorporation of new habits into your total lifestyle.  So if you hate the gym, joining one will likely be a temporary change.  You are much better off, developing a hobby that is physical that you are likely to continue such as hiking, running, or surfing. 

Finding someone in your life who knows your goals and can offer support doesn’t hurt either.  So this year, set yourself up for success.  Let your resolutions be well thought out goals that you will actually achieve.  Whatever the goal, you will have no trouble achieving it if you follow these simple guidelines.  Best of luck for a happy and successful 2017!