Sunday, February 5, 2012

Restart or reboot your New Year's resolutions

We are just over a month into the new year and I wonder how many of you are going strong with your resolutions?
How many have fallen and given up?
And how many are still trying to get started?
Those of you who are going strong, congrats!! You obviously have a successful strategy for achieving your goal and I encourage you to keep on keeping on. Also I recommend considering long term motivational techniques to help keep you going when you feel things slowing down.
I don’t want to slight those of you who are making good progress however I am going to focus on the people that either haven’t gotten started or who slipped up and threw in the towel.
First of all there is approximately 92% of the year left. So there is plenty of time!
Review the goal you originally set: was it really something you wanted to achieve? Or was it something you felt you should achieve due to external pressure? If it isn’t something you really want, choose something you do want to achieve. Then define that goal in positive terms, create a SMART* framework for it, share it with others and reinforce it where and whenever you can. If it is a large goal break it up into smaller steps and acknowledge your successes as you move along
Slip-ups happen, but slip-ups should not equal the end of your resolution. Think of them as a bump in the road or an obstacle, dust yourself off and get back on track!
Re-write your goal(s) if necessary – make them more realistic, tone them down a bit so as to ensure they don’t intimidate you. Then as you achieve this more realistic goal you can create a subsequent one that gets you further along. Repeat as necessary to achieve your ultimate goal!
Create a whole new target (goal, resolution) – start from scratch, perhaps the goalposts have changed.
Make a short-term and/or small resolution –
I am going to reduce my soda/coffee/alcohol intake this week.
I will spend 15 minutes a day relaxing and clearing my mind
I will do something positive for my partner/children/parents/friends each day
Every Sunday morning I will pay my bills
We all get focused on New Year resolutions but there is no reason to limit them to the 1st of January.
Any day is the best day to resolve to lose weight, repair relationships, clean out clutter, volunteer with a charity, become more active, be more patient, …..this list can go on and on.
Choose something, commit to it, make a plan to achieve it and go to it! Every single one of us has it in us to improve ourselves. Believe in yourself.
*SMART = Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timebound

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