How to Make Good on New Year’s Resolutions
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Have you been setting New Year’s Resolutions year after year without ever taking the first step to accomplishing it? Or have you, at least, attempted only to fall short soon after and give up?
Life is full of things that can consume your time and prevent you from fulfilling your plans. If you find it difficult to make and keep goals, you’re not alone. Research has shown that while almost half of Americans set New Year’s resolutions, only 8% of them are successful at achieving them.
So why even set New Year’s Resolutions if the odds are against you reaching them?
Without clearly defined objectives, it’s impossible to be successful in life. When you know what you want, you are more likely to change your behaviors to get it. Setting goals and working hard to achieve them provides a sense of accomplishment. When you have a purpose and mission, life comes into focus and your energy is spent on healthy pursuits.
7 Proven Strategies To Achieve Your New Year’s Resolutions
1. Set Realistic Goals
Goal-setting isn’t having a vague idea of something you’d like to obtain at some undetermined point in the future. The time to be intentional is now. Write down your resolutions in a calendar and then review them every day to make progress toward completing them. Making realistic goals that you can focus on daily will make a significant difference in your outlook on life.
2. Find a Fitness Friend
One of the best ways to achieve fitness goals is to exercise with a partner or in a group. Besides making a workout more fun and interactive, having a buddy to keep you accountable on days when you feel like slacking off can be a huge help. Plus, you’ll be less likely to hit the snooze button when your fitness friend is counting on you to join them at the gym or for a morning jog.
3. Get Nutritional Support
If one of your resolutions is to sharpen mental focus and boost your energy, getting nutritional support is a must. For starters, try taking a good multi-vitamin with vitamin B6, D, and magnesium. Then add other supplements to boost mood, focus, or memory. Properly fueling your brain and body can also help support your daily performance and help you accomplish all your goals.
4. Prioritize Your Goals
If working on all your goals at once becomes overwhelming, set up a hierarchy. Select a few things you absolutely must accomplish, several things you want to complete and many things that would be nice to finish by the end of the year. Not only will this pyramid structure allow you to focus your time and energy on the essentials, it will also help to reduce the debilitating pressure of trying to juggle so many objectives at one time.
The most common resolutions involve diet and exercise. Maintaining a consistent fitness plan can be a challenge in today’s busy world. To increase your chances of reaching your New Year’s goals, set yourself up for mind-body success. Get motivated and ramp up your workout routines by attending a group hike, bike class, or Pilates sessions 2-3 times a week for one month. Above all, find physical activities that you enjoy…exercise doesn’t have to be a chore.
6. One-page Miracle (OPM)
What all successful people have in common is a sense of personal responsibility and clear-cut objectives. An OPM will help you make better choices, which will enable you to achieve more in life. Write down the specific goals you have for each major area of your life. Then ask yourself every day, “Is my behavior getting me what I want?” This simple but profound activity can aid the process of turning your thoughts into reality. Click here for tips on how to create your own OPM.
7. Treat Yourself
It’s important to celebrate your wins. When establishing your exercise goals, write down the reward you’ll get once you attain that goal. But simplify your goals in the process and create markers of accomplishment. For example, instead of saying you’ll celebrate when you lose 20 lbs., which could take months, set goals like consistently working out 3x a week. Then celebrate at the end of the week or two weeks. These wins will keep you motivated. Ideas to celebrate: treat yourself to a massage or a movie night.
Set yourself up for success in the New Year by implementing some or all of these strategies and supporting your brain and body with Dr. Amen’s supplements. Choose which ones are for you at BrainMD.
Great article, I get some valuable tips from your post and I will implement all these in New Year 2019. Anyway Thanks for this beneficial sharing.