The New Year is almost upon us! Do you make a resolution for the New Year? Some years I have and some years I haven’t, but many people do.

I am sure many of us are guilty of making resolutions such as “I will loose weight” or “I will exercise more” or “I will quit smoking,” or “I will spend less money and save more.” I know I have made very general resolutions like that before. According to the article How to Make New Year’s Resolutions Stick on January 2nd, about 2 million people will begin the ritual of starting a New Year’s Resolution. Unfortunately, by February, many of us are back in the old routine and have given up on our resolutions.
Why do we abandon our newfound resolutions so quickly?
Many of us quickly become discouraged. As a society, we like instant results, and with some of the most popular resolutions the results will not happen instantly. We may also become overwhelmed with the desire or pressure to achieve our resolution and give up on the task all together as a way to alleviate the stress it has caused.

Below are some simple suggestions that we can follow to help us try and stay on task and actually achieve the goals we set as resolutions.

1. Be specific with your goal. Instead of saying “I want to loose weight” say “I want to loose 15 lbs.” This gives you a more definite goal.
2. Be realistic and give ample time for your resolution. If your resolution is to quit smoking, don’t give yourself a time frame of 2 months to quit when you have smoked most of your adult life.
3. Don’t make too many resolutions at once. Pick the goals most important to you and focus on them.
4. Allow room for mistakes and imperfections. We all make mistakes so making mistakes regarding your resolution is no different. Do not beat yourself up if you get off track with a goal.
5. Share your resolution with others. Let others know of your resolution and the steps you will take to help you achieve that goal. By telling others you will become more accountable for making the goal a reality.
6. Make a goal plan – Write out your goal and the steps you will need to take to complete your goal, along with a time line of when you hope to have each step completed.

To be continued......

Source: How to Make New Year's Resolutions Stick