This is that time of year when we look back at the past 12 months and assess how we have been doing. We focus on what went well and what didn’t. Most of us set new year’s resolution. The new year bring a chance to do things differently and to change a little something about you. Common goals include quit smoking, a change of career, losing weight, start exercising. Sometimes we succeed in changing behaviours we’d like to improve. And…sometimes we don’t. We may have plenty of good will and determination as we approach this task, however, we know from experience that sooner or later we will go back to our old and bad habit(s). This blog article aims at making your new year’s resolutions a success that last over time and can bring that change you really want in your life, no matter how big or small that is.
1. Set realistic goals
Setting objectives far beyond our reach can be tricky, because the discrepancy between our starting point and our goal will trigger a sense of discouragement and demotivation. It is of crucial importance (and I cannot emphasize enough how important this point is!), that you set new year’s resolution that require commitment but are reachable in practice.
2. Break big goals down into smaller targets
You have this idea in mind about a complete change of career or wanting to be making healthier choices and are not too sure where to start from? It’s quite simple actually. Just break those large-scale targets that you want to achieve into step by step smaller targets that you must hit to reach your big goals.
3. Monitor your work towards reaching your goals
Keeping your operational goals small will also help you with monitoring your work towards your targets. This point is sometimes overlooked; however, this is a crucial step to boost your commitment and keep your motivation flying high. My advice is to write your goals down and stick them somewhere that you can see daily. This crystallizes them and gives them more force and give you more determination.
4. Involve a loved one in your journey to success
It can be much easier to work on this journey when we have someone we can share things with. Involve your partner ort a friend to share this amazing journey towards change; maybe you have a common goal so you can work on that together and offer each other some peer-support as required; or they can simply have that supportive and encouraging role to help you boost your motivation.
5. Be consistent over time
Recent psychological research has shown that it takes on average 90 days before a new behaviour becomes automatic. This is why it is essential to constantly work towards achieving your goals, especially at those times when you feel less motivated and are at higher risk of dropping out your path towards positive change. Keep in mind that to break bad habits and set yourself up for success you need to be consistent over time.