Okay, so we’re a week in to January and already the New Year’s resolutions appear to be an epic fail. Or you haven’t even bothered to set goals because you didn’t achieve your New Year’s resolutions in 2016. The opportunity to set yourself a goal – yes it can just be one and not a list longer than the scarf you got for Christmas – does not have a “once every 12 months" limited. Come on, we’re better than that, and I for one am in the mood to make a change! Yep, I’ve got the secret to succeeding this year...
What is it you actually want to do? Don’t just say “I want to loose weight”, “I’m going to start running” or “I’m going to start giving to charity” (other New Year’s resolutions are available!) actually nail the specifics such as how much weight? How far are you going to run? Which Charity are you going to give to?
“If you can measure it, you can change it” is a fundamental principal of psychology. Measuring helps you monitor your progress and allows you to understand if you are slipping back. This will help you adjust your efforts. So keep a log of your weight loss and gain, record how long for, note when and what you’ve given to charity.
Change doesn’t happen overnight, but the steps to change are daily occurrence. Lasting changes take time and you must have patience.
Social support from family and friends is crucial to succeeding. Of course personal stamina and will is fundamental but we ALL are vulnerable to failure. Talking about your goals makes you far more likely to succeed and even working towards those goals along with another person makes the likelihood of success far greater. Joining a club or doing something as group makes a challenge that bit easier. It's easy to break a promise to yourself, but far harder to admit it to family and friends.
If you schedule your goals in to a diary or weekly planner you are more likely to make time for it. So schedule when you will weigh yourself, timetable your run, allocate the day you are giving blood. Nobody finds time we make it.
So come on, what are you going to change in 2017?
