For over one month prior to a new year, people begin to think about new years resolutions and what goals they wish to achieve. Most of these people had failed to follow through with their resolutions in the previous year and thus attempt to try again. The problem is, most resolutions are inherently flawed and are destined to not be completed.
Follow this guideline on how to create a resolution that you can keep and achieve!
1. Improve your mood. Research published on happiness and success has found that goals can be achieved in any domain of life when positive emotions outweigh negative emotions by at least threefold. It challenges the notion that happiness derives from success when in fact it actually works the other way around.
2. Choose only one resolution at a time. Having a list of too many goals at once can feel overwhelming from the get go, which is one of the number one causes of procrastination. Finding excuses to avoid lifestyle changes to meet your goal becomes easier and easier and before you know it, your resolution has fallen to the wayside once more.
3. Train your brain. Just like our bodies have finite resources to lift heavy objects, our brains have finite capability to resist temptation. Over the course of each day, our brains become fatigued from tapping into our willpower. By having too many resolutions, it is the same as expecting your arms to be able to lift multiple heavy objects one after the other without fail. Choose only the most important resolution to prevent burnout and increase the likelihood of success.
4. Choose challenging and specific goals. When a goal is outside of your comfort zone and very specific, you give yourself the best opportunity to succeed. It is important to choose a goal that is just outside of what you believe is “reachable”. For example, if you believe you could exercise 2 days per week reasonably, then set your goal at 3 (as opposed to 7). Research has shown that success after a challenge increases pride and self-esteem much more than achieving what seems to be a reasonable, albeit low, goal.
5. Create “if-then” statements. Create a contract with yourself that when a certain cue appears, you will engage in behavior toward reaching your goal. For example, if your goal is to lose weight you can say, “If a commercial comes on TV, I will take a walk around my house.” Similar to the earlier point, such specifics can help significantly increase your likelihood of achieving your goal.
6. Put yourself first. A goal will never be reached if there is no time to attempt reaching it. This can be a common issue for South Asians, especially women, who tend to put others first consistently without considering their own needs. Remind yourself that your goals will help you improve and discounting their importance is not only affecting you but also affecting your ability to be the best caretaker for your loved ones. Make sure every day you have enough time for yourself to work toward your resolution.
7. Broadcast your resolution. It is not necessary to go into details if you are not comfortable, but by sharing with others that you are working on a goal, you are likely to feel more accountable for your actions. Your friends or family may check in with you once in a while to see how you are doing. For fear of embarrassment if nothing has been done, most people are likely to use that as motivation to continue working on their resolution.
How do you make sure you reach your resolutions?