Today we’re talking about resolutions. First of all, did you know there are people (psychologists, mostly) that actually study resolutions and how many people follow them, fall off the wagon, etc.? And two, did you know that in a group of 100 people, only 8 actually stick to their resolutions? We were stunned. Well, kinda. This statistic certainly made us think about our past resolutions which made us realize we haven’t ever actually stuck to a resolution we’ve made. We would like to think we can commit to a resolution, but we could really use some pointers. Let’s get started!
Resolutions Should Be Easily Manageable and Clearly Defined
Research has found that one of the main reasons we don’t stick to our goals is because we’ve set very vague goals that are frankly a little all over the place. For instance, we may say our new year’s resolution is to lose weight. Well, okay, but how much weight? Are we talking a certain amount of pounds or body-fat percentage? Goals, or resolutions, should be specific so your progress can be managed and achievable.
(image via: coach)
Ask Yourself Why
If your resolution is meaningful to you, you have a far better chance of being successful. Say for instance you want to change career paths in the coming year. This is a great resolution, but why do you want to change your career? Is it because you’re sick of where you work? Well, why? (See what we’re doing here?) For something as serious as a New Year’s resolution, it’s vital that it’s important to you so you’re more inclined to stick with it.
A Little is Better Than Nothing
No matter what your goal is, there will be days you just don’t care and just have to force yourself to get things done. For instance, say your goal is to save X percent of your paycheck to deposit into your savings account each month, but maybe April comes around and find yourself splurging here and there on seemingly small things, but you get to the point where you think, “I might as well not save any money this month because I’ve already blown through some.” Stop that. Stop that right now. Saving a few dollars at that point is better than saving zero dollars. All progress matters.
(image via: the union flats)
Failure is Still Success
Old habits die hard and sometimes we fall right back into our old ways, and while this would be the time that a lot of us get frustrated, throw in the towel, and just kinda give up; but keep in mind that even if this happens that you’ve taken a big step in the right direction and even though you may feel like you have failed, you’re closer to reaching your goal than you were when you started, and that is no failure.