Making and Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions

According to a survey by the US government, “eating right” and “quitting smoking” are two of the top ten New Year’s resolutions. A resolution is a promise you make to yourself to make changes in your life. The New Year is when most Americans “resolve” to make a change. So why are resolutions so hard to keep?  It could be that we need to change our resolutions into goals that we can more easily reach.

Take “eating right.” That goal is very general. A better goal might be to say you will eat baked fish once a week or eat fresh vegetables with at least one meal a day. Perhaps you need to switch from pop to water or milk in order to “eat right.” Reaching those smaller goals may help you to go on to set bigger ones.

Set small goals to lose weight

Another very popular resolution is to lose weight. Americans love to try new diets and to talk about losing weight. But losing weight is too vague.  A better goal might be to cut out desserts during the week and see what happens. Or starting a daily routine of stretching might be a big enough goal to help you become a slimmer you.

Many people fail at losing weight because they set goals that are too high. If you need to lose 50 pounds, start with a goal of 10 pounds. It is much easier to lose 10 pounds than 50. Your success will help you reach the bigger goal.

Goals are easier and more fun when done with friends and family.  This may be the time of year to talk with your kids about what you like in yourself and what you could improve on.  Each person could come up with his or her own list. 

If your daughter wants to learn to control her anger, her goal would be to count to ten before she gets mad. You can put a star on a chart when she does it. Another family member may put a star on a chart for every day he goes without a cigarette.

Let’s say that your big goal is to complete your education. You are more likely to succeed at your goal if you set smaller goals for yourself along the way. A smaller goal would be to enroll in one course a semester and resolve to study two hours a day.

What holds us back from reaching our goals? The answer is different for each person, but fear is often the enemy of dreams.

One student said that she almost walked out during the math part of an exam because she was afraid that she would not pass or finish the test in time. She stayed. And she did finish; and, she did pass.

The best thing about a new year is that it gives us a chance to make a fresh start.  On January 1, 2006, take a look at what you want to do in the New Year. Break your goals into small steps that you know you can achieve, and then watch yourself climb up, up, up to success.

Top Ten New Year's Resolutions

            1.         Lose Weight

            2.         Exercise

            3.         Quit Smoking

            4.         Quit Drinking

            5.         Be A Better Person

            6.         Spend More Time...

            7.         Spend Less Time...

            8.         Be More Organized

            9.         Get Out Of Debt

            10.       Be More Spiritual