THIS RESOLUTION WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE
BY: FITZ-GEORGE RATTRAY
This resolution will change your life
Another year has ended and another year has started. It keeps on happening every year, no matter what we do, we have no control of the orbit of the earth, but we can certainly control the changes in our own lives. In this hope very many of us make New Year’s resolutions, resolving to make a promised change to ourselves and perhaps to others. Truly you only need to make one resolution, and this resolution will change your life.
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FAIL MISERABLY
Every year hundreds of millions of people make resolutions, including savings, weight loss, getting in shape, quitting habits and others.
However, 80 percent of New Year’s resolutions fail by January, and 92 percent will fail within the year. It seems that it’s not worth the trouble to make New Year’s resolutions.
RESOLUTIONS ARE WORTH THE EFFORT
They are definitely worth the effort for the 8 percent who manage to maintain them, but they can also be worth the effort to you. The new year is connected to change and is as good a time as any to plan to make positive changes in your own life. Of course you don’t want to defeat your own hopes with defeat, so here’s the trick, you should make one resolution, and make it NOT TO SET RESOLUTIONS, BUT INSTEAD SET PLANNED, MANAGEABLE GOALS.
RESOLVE TO SET MANAGEABLE PRACTICAL GOALS
Many resolutions fail because resolution goals are frequently too lofty, overly general, and poorly defined. Set GOALS instead, practical, well defined goals.
Picture resolving to increase your fitness, and getting up January 1st without an exercise routine, without any plan, and deciding to run 5 miles 3 times per week. After three weeks you are burned out and discouraged. This is impractical and daunting for most people.
On the other hand, if you set a goal to walk briskly 30 minutes 2 times per week in January then evaluate and design a practical routine for February, this well-defined, manageable practical goal, will most likely bring about successful changes.
10 POINTS FOR SUCCESSFUL NEW YEAR’S CHANGE
Make it practical and manageable
For example, Instead of saying, I will not eat flour anymore, set a goal to have white flour products no more than once per week and to replace white flour products with whole grains and ground provisions. Don’t hope to make a revolutionary change overnight, for most of us everything is a process, step by step, easy as you go.
Get help, get support
If you knew everything about making your particular change, you probably would have made the change already. There are coaches, support groups and programme for anything you can imagine, with existing plans, strategies and lifetimes of experiences to help you. Reach out, check their website, send a message/email or make that call; if it is important enough do not leave it to chance.
Find a partner
Aside from professional help, committing to change with a few other people or at least one other person is a better bet for success. When you are down they should be up and motivating you and visa-versa, we work better with others, and if this idea doesn’t appeal to you, ask yourself how going it alone has worked for you so far.
Be accountable
Building on the two previous points, like it or not it is proven that accountability yields best results, 59% of people with a coach, or partner succeed, compared to 29% of those who go it alone.
Left alone we have not been our best friends in your own goals. Get a coach or at least talk to family/friends about your goals, be open and communicative. Being accountable to others is known to strengthen your resilience and increase your chances of continued success
Make it clear
Instead of saying I am going to learn Spanish this year, say, I am going to find an affordable Spanish course which has classes no more than once per week and learn introductory Spanish. Know your parameters, set clear goals and stick with it.
Choose one thing
Resolve and motivation are emotions and emotions are finite. Do not spread
your goals thin, chose one thing, put your energies into one thing, fix one
thing, teach yourself that you can and will make change.
Believe in yourself
You already made the wonderful decision to make a positive change in your life, you have proven that you care about yourself and that you are worthy of your own care, now, believe in your ability to set a practical goal. Get help in doing so if necessary and embracing that goal, the fact is, if anyone can do it you can, others have, so, yes, you can.
Be kind to yourself
Understand that the best of us falter, struggle and stumble, and, when and if you do, don’t focus on getting off track, focus on embracing your goal, simply and kindly.
Just don’t give up
The only failure is giving up, practically everyone experiences challenges and is not 100% all the time, so 100% is not the goal, the goal is to not give up, keep navigating a path to success until you reach, do not give up, there is always a way.
Get to April
Most people fail their goals at or before 90 days, getting beyond the first 90 days will greatly increase your chances of success.
Do not be surprised or daunted by the effort change takes, let go of discouragement and feeling daunted. Have a plan, be honest with yourself, and reach out for help when needed, never give up, you are worthy of your own goals.
