New Year’s Resolution and You!!

For most of us a new year is just that, new, and therein lies the catch, for in a world dictated by time and change, any chance to pick a point and move forward is useful for us to build focus, set targets and resolve. If there are any thoughts of improvements or goals, be them of a company, government, any other organisation of personal goals, the new year is a great starting point. It gives us a substantial time marker to motivate us to make changes. It is easy to say, this new year I resolve to increase my income, lose weight, start working out or take better care of myself but how many of us really stick to it. How can we make our resolutions work for us?

Statistically just over 40% of persons make new year’s resolutions and of that percentage only 8-10% maintain their resolutions beyond February. It is clear that reaching for self-improvement is a good idea, and a new year is as motivating a factor as any, but on its own, that does not seem to last for the majority.

Set Achievable Goals for yourself The first things we need to remember are, vague goals are difficult to attain. Make your goals manageable and specific. Deciding to lose four pounds per month for 10 months is more manageable than 40 pounds by March. Any improvement is an improvement, and consistency will be more important than intensity. Saying you’re going to work out at the gym two hours per day or six days per week is not a sustainable goal for most people, as opposed to working out at home three or even two days per week. Self-improvement is not a sprint.

Set clearly defined goals. Instead of I want to lose weight, say, I will join a group to help me lose 20 pounds by April. Instead of I want to increase my income, calculate what your needs are, figure out the actual increase necessary and how and when you can work to achieve them.

Daily Motivation is a Must Now you have set your manageable well-defined goals and it’s time to go on to the next step: understanding the nature of motivation. With ITK Wave we have found that, motivation is not self-sustaining. It is vulnerable and will weaken, over time, perhaps daily. To deal with the weak link in your new year’s resolution, you must renew your motivation daily.

There are several techniques, but here are three that we think are integral:

1. If it is available, find a support person, team, system or organisation that may be a Diet System like the ITK Wave, or a training partner. We are stronger in numbers, and when you are down or weakening, they can be there to keep you on track.

2. Write out your goals and leave them where you can see them every day. Literally read them to yourself.

3. Keep a notebook, and each day write what you intend to do to keep on track with your resolutions.

As simple as these ITK tools sound, they have been shown to make a measurable improvement in maintaining motivation and goal keeping. As always, you have the knowledge, you have the tools, put them to work and enjoy what you create.