How to keep your New Year’s resolutions - part 2

The new year is a great time to focus on what we would like to change in our lives to better ourselves physically, intellectually, socially, emotionally and psychologically. However, as we have already mentioned in our last blog post, sometimes it is difficult to stick to these resolutions. Here are some tips on how to increase your chances of achieving your goals.

1. Be specific and realistic In setting your goals be as specific as you can. Instead of saying you want to lose weight, state how much weight you want to lose and be realistic about what you can achieve. For example, ten pounds not five stone. By being concrete about your goal, you can plan exactly what you need to do to achieve it over the coming year.

2. One resolution only You might have a whole list of things you would like to change, but if you focus on all of them at once you run the risk of spreading yourself too thin. Instead, just pick one goal and focus your energy on that.

3. Don't leave it until the last minute It is best not to wait until New Year’s Eve to think about your resolution as planning is the key to achieving any goal. If you spend time writing down your goal, thinking about how you might achieve it and considering the obstacles you may encounter then this should help you tackle any goal.

4. One small step at a time It is easy to get overwhelmed with New Year’s resolutions and taking on too much is often the reason why we fail. Dramatically trying to change old habits such as smoking twenty a day to none at all is a guaranteed way to destroy your plans. The key is to take small steps that will ultimately help you achieve your goal. If you are trying to give up smoking, start by reducing the amount of cigarettes you smoke rather than stopping altogether. While this process may seem laborious, these small changes will make it easier for you to stick to your new habits in the long run.

5. Make new resolutions It’s best not to make the same resolution year after year because if you’ve already tried and failed, your belief in your ability to achieve this goal is likely to be low. If you must choose the same resolution then consider what worked last time and what prevented you from achieving this goal in the past. Unless you modify your approach, you are likely to see the same results as last year.

Look out for our next blog for more tips on how to accomplish your resolutions for the New Year.