New year’s resolutions aren’t something we write knowing rat we want be able to achieve them. They usually start out with the best intentions, so why do so many of us miss our targets, or give up before February?
If that sounds like your experience, year in, year out, here are three simple steps to make sure 2014 ends in success!
Start small
Trying to lose half your body weight in a week isn’t achievable. Neither is finishing a degree in three months. The examples mentioned may sound ridiculous but that’s the type of pressure people put on themselves when making new year’s resolutions. It’s little wonder that things turn sour before February swings round.
The trick is to start small with reasonable expectations and add more as you go along, building yourself up gradually.
Don’t give up at the first hiccup
Skipping your first hiccup or succumbing to those gorgeous new shoes in the January sales (when you were meant to be saving) doesn’t mean you can’t do it!
A year is a long time and you are human – being able yo jeep your new year’s resolutions takes time and commitment, so give yourself time to adjust.
Go public
If failure is too embarrassing to share with others it may be the trigger you need to tow the line and keep your new year’s resolutions.
Tell everyone about how you’re going to stop flitting away your cash, how you’re giving up chocolate and how you’ll launch that new business in the new year and it will be like having a coach (without the price tag, of course). If you have a close friend or relative who likes to check in with your regularly then they’ll be a great person to tell everything to as they can keep an eye on your progress – maybe you can do the same for them, too.
