Make Your Resolutions Attainable

publication date: Dec 27, 2007

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author/source: Roswell Beacon

Every year, millions of people make New Year's resolutions – and then abandon them in short order. Whether it's the hectic pace of life or the general difficulty of making a lifestyle change, resolutions have a history of falling by the wayside.

In fact, research indicates that roughly 30 percent of people who make New Year's resolutions abandon them within a month.

Here, then are a few tricks for making your resolutions stick:

• Don't be too vague. One of the more common New Year's resolutions is to lose weight. That’s a great idea for those who are overweight, but it’s not a good resolution because it's too vague.
  
  If you go a year and lose one pound, you theoretically kept your resolution, but was the spirit of the resolution truly met? Of course not.
  
  To make a resolution stick, be specific. If your goal is to lose weight, weigh yourself on New Year's Day and set a realistic goal for weight loss (consult with a medical professional if need be). By doing so, you can establish measurable goals along the way, which will help keep you motivated as you continue to meet your goals.
• Be realistic and responsible with your resolution. Too often, resolutions are made that are unrealistic. For example, someone who is buried in debt might resolve to get a new 50-inch flat screen television before the year is out. While that would be nice, it’s not a responsible resolution. Instead, make getting out of debt your resolution. If you accomplish that goal, you can then reward yourself with the television.
• Make your resolution something you'll enjoy. When a young person enters college, he's often told to find something he loves to do and then do it for a living. The same approach can be taken with a New Year's resolution. For those who love to write, resolve to get a piece of writing published before the end of the year. For those who want to lose weight but aren't fond of going to gyms, look into an athletic activity you might once have enjoyed, such as riding a bike, playing basketball or jogging, and center your weight loss program around such activities. The more you like doing the things related to your resolution, the more it is to become a reality.
• Don't allow setbacks to settle things. A big mistake many people make with respect to their New Year's resolutions is allowing minor setbacks to become major ones. Resolutions aren't easy. If they were, you wouldn't have to resolve to do them in the first place. What makes resolutions harder is allowing setbacks to derail the effort, such as not meeting a short-term weight loss goal. Worthwhile resolutions will have hurdles, including some that might take a try or two. Don't get discouraged by the first hurdle you can't clear. If you do, you'll likely find yourself making the same resolution next year.