Achieving Your New Year Resolutions
It's that time of year where people feel obligated to "promise" to change. Maybe lose weight. Or be nicer to people. Read more. Save more. Learn more. Exercise more. Smoke or drink less. You name it - there is probably someone, somewhere who has made it into a New Year's resolution.
But HOW do you really boost your ability to achieve your goals and objectives? What can you do to help you attain what you are setting out to do? How do you stack the cards in your favor to reach your goal and not abandon your resolutions?
Here are some of the takeaways that I have on this topic...and the "pearls" that I have seen recently on many different articles and posts about resolutions.
- Be realistic. Only set a small number (3-5) goals for yourself. Too many will overwhelm you. It's far better to have a small number of items that you successfully attain than a large list that becomes abandoned.
- Have a POSITIVE WHY for your goal. It's better to say "I will be a non-smoker in 2019" than to say "I will quit smoking in 2019". It's always easier to create a new, positive habit than to stop a bad one. (There is documented psychology behind this - too much for this blog post.)
- 2x your goals. Go BIG or go home. It's not unrealistic to assume that you won't achieve your entire goal. So why not make it bigger, and if you achieve part of it...you are still a winner. What's a better "half-way" achievement? Losing half of a 20 lb goal? Or half of a 40 lb goal? (But don't use this to 2x the number of resolutions. See point #1)
- Create a roadmap with a deadline. By creating a specific goal with a deadline, you can work backward to create your roadmap of achievements that you need to attain to get to your goal. If you want to write that book, then set a date deadline, then work backward and lay out all of the steps you will need to take to the beginning, so you can start today to achieve that goal. Without planning, it probably won't happen.
- Just Start. I call the "first step" of doing anything the "infinity step". By taking that first step, you have infinitely increased your chances of achieving your goal. Without that first step you are 100% assured of success at failure.
- Tell everyone. Telling others immediately boosts your likelihood of achieving your goals. Having others ask about your progress keeps you accountable.
- Remind yourself. Revisit and remind yourself of your goals daily. If you forget your goals, you won't achieve them. Want to lose weight? Post your goal on the refrigerator door. How about spending less time watching TV. Put a post-it note on the TV. For me...I have posted on my laptop a small note: "What are you doing?". It helps remind me to not waste time on the computer. I also put in recurring appointments into my smartphone calendar so I see them on a regular basis.
- Celebrate your wins. If you have "steps" to your goal, it's a great opportunity to celebrate those wins. Those small celebrations provide positive feedback to you that will help you work toward that next goal. Don't forget to share your wins with others to have them continue to support your efforts.
- Do a previous year review. This is a good way to help you determine what to work on this next year. What are the items or habits that you want to boost? Which ones do you want to eliminate by replacing them with better habits? This is a great time to make this assessment.
Chances are if you are like most people, the goals you set for yourself won't all be completed and some will be abandoned. But by using these tips, it's far more likely that you will at least achieve some of them successfully. Partial achievement of your New Year resolutions using these secrets is far better than successfully doing none.
PS. Last minute addition: Want a bunch of great ideas for a New Year resolution that are easy and maybe improve the quality of your life? Check this out:
WhiteCoat Risk Management is not responsible for any actions you take or fail to take regarding any aspect of your financial planning or risk management. This article is provided for information purposes and is not intended to provide individualized advice. You alone are responsible for your financial decisions.
