Presented by TP Mechanical | Provided by HORAN
Resolutions are possibly the best and worst part of beginning a new year. Who doesn’t like a fresh start or a new challenge? However, New Year’s resolutions can often be viewed negatively.
Part of the reason many resolutions fail is that the term is seasonal and fixed to a very specific holiday. Come February, New Year’s resolutions start to look as relevant as a brown Christmas tree. On top of that, resolutions come loaded with a ton of cultural baggage and are often the setup to jokes about failure.
So, instead of making resolutions that will quickly fade, why not try setting goals for yourself? With that new attitude, here are some tips that should increase the probability of success for your 2015 goals.
- Set specific, measurable goals. A vague goal is easily broken. If you’re dieting to lose weight, set a specific number as your goal. If you’re saving, decide on a precise dollar amount. Detailed goals help you focus, making it easier to determine an end point and to meet benchmarks along the way.
- Choose goals that are meaningful to you, not to somebody else. If you’re doing it for yourself, rather than to please others, you’ll have much more motivation to succeed.
- Don’t do what you’ve always done. Try something new, especially if what you’ve been doing hasn’t worked in the past.
- If you have more than one goal, try varying the levels of difficulty. Completing smaller goals will give you the momentum you need to achieve a big one, and small successes will keep you from obsessing about difficulties along the way.
- Use other people to hold yourself accountable. It’s one thing to fail privately, but nobody likes to be seen as unsuccessful by other people. Announce your goals on social media to commit yourself, or consider adding another negative consequence to failure. In his book “Drop Dead Healthy,” A.J. Jacobs conquered his snacking urges by asking his wife to mail a signed contribution to a hate group if he didn’t stop snacking. The thought repulsed him so much that he refused to give in to temptation.
- Most importantly, if you mess up, do not give up. There is a world of difference between experiencing a setback and stopping. So stick with it! It’s a new year and a fresh start—there’s no better time to make a commitment to a positive change in your life.