8 Questions to Ask Yourself so that Your New Year’s Resolutions Can Be Successful
Making resolutions for the New Year is a popular tradition, but most of us don’t keep them for very long. Here are some questions to ask yourself to increase your chances of success:
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Who are you doing it for?
You are much less likely to succeed if you make resolutions based on what someone else wants. To give yourself the best chance of success, make resolutions that reflect what YOU want, not what someone else wants, or what you think you should be doing. If you aren’t sure how to answer this, ask yourself what you hope to get out of this resolution.
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Is your resolution reasonable?
There is a big difference between possible and reasonable. While it may be possible for someone who has been sedentary for years to work up to running marathons, is it really reasonable for you? A resolution to go for a 30 minute walk every day is much more reasonable. Then you can build up to what is possible.
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How are you going to schedule time for your resolution?
Most things have more of a likelihood of becoming a reality if you set small, obtainable goals. If you have a large home and want to let go of excess stuff, you’ll be much more successful if you dedicate 5-10 minutes a day to clearing clutter than if you try to do it all at once. You can also choose to pick one room of your house at a time.
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Does your resolution fit your budget?
Some resolutions, such as clearing clutter or going for walks, aren’t going to cost more than a little bit of your time. However, if you make a resolution to go back to school, start a business, or travel, you need to know how you’re going to pay for it.
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Do you have a plan to handle setbacks?
It’s going to happen. You’re going to have days (or weeks) that you are unmotivated, when other obligations and responsibilities get in the way, or other things happen to derail your progress. Having a plan to keep yourself on track will significantly increase your chance of success.
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Do you have support for your resolution?
This isn’t going to be critical in every situation, but if you are the type of person who prefers outside support, or if your resolution is one that is better accomplished with another person (such as learning another language, or improving your tennis game), getting a buddy may help you stick with it.
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What is your time frame for your resolution?
If you set a resolution to lose 20 pounds by summer, you may find yourself waiting until May to get started. On the other hand, trying to pay off debt by the end of January may also be doomed to fail. You’re better off making a resolution to eat at least 3 servings of vegetables a day, or skip the Starbuck’s and make your own coffee 3-4 days a week.
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Are you setting too many resolutions?
The New Year is an exciting time and it’s easy to make a whole list of resolutions. If you’re making several resolutions, you’ll want to look at them as a whole. After you’ve asked yourself these questions about each of your resolutions, go back and ask yourself the same questions about the list as a whole. You might find that each of them individually is perfectly reasonable and achievable, but are they reasonable as a whole? If you have several different areas of your life that you’d like to work on in the coming year, you might have to make some concessions. You might decide to defer some resolutions, or find creative ways to find the resources to achieve them. You can also set a number one resolution and then decide to hit the other one on the list when you get around to it (which may possibly be next year’s resolution).
If you find that year after year you make resolutions to lose weight, be happier, stop drinking, stop being late to work, start school…..fill in the blank……then you might want to contact me and talk about the barriers that are keeping you from that success.