7 Steps to Keep Your New Year's Resolution
Are you going to reinvent yourself in 2017? Or at least use the new year as a long overdue excuse to get rid of bad habits...or pick up new ones?
Below are 7 steps to ensure that you STICK to your 2017 New Year's Resolutions.
1. Plan ahead.
NOW is the time to start thinking about the changes you'd like to make in your life in 2017. Don’t make your resolution on New Year’s Eve or on January 1st. If you wait until the last minute, it will be based on your mindset that particular day. Instead, it start planning well before December 31st arrives.
2. Create a vision board with your goals (and be realistic).
Visualizing your goals is an important part in helping reach them. Creating a dream or vision board is a fun way to detail out your specific goals that you'd like to accomplish in 2017.
When we visualize our desired outcome, we begin to “see” the possibility of achieving it. Through visualization, we are able to catch a glimpse of what is our “preferred future.” When this happens, we are motivated and prepared to pursue our goal.
There are many aspects of life that you can include in your vision board; weight loss goals, financial goals, physical fitness goals, personal development goals, etc.
In the past, I've included goals such as: Helping 100 people get healthy that year, reading 12 new books, taking a tropical vacation, paying off credit card debt, completing a Tough Mudder, learning 2 new recipes a month, etc.
I'd recommend using a website like Canva.com to create a pretty "board" that you can hang up in your office to remind you of what you are working towards.
3. Pick a specific start date and schedule.
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
Once you have outlined your overall goals for 2017, make sure you have a specific start date. Since the first Monday is on January 2, that may be a good day to get started on your goals!
If you are planning to work on your health and fitness in 2017, schedule out how many days a week you will exercise and when you will meal prep. Scheduling out these routines will make them easier to stick to!
4. Break down your overall goals into "baby goals."
Looking at one LARGE number or goal for year can often be intimidating. I have found that breaking these down into quarterly or monthly "baby goals" often make that new task a lot less intimidating.
For example, if you are looking to lose 30 pounds in 2017 -- this goal can be broken into smaller baby goals. If 6lbs are lost each month in January - May, that breaks down into 1.5lbs a week.
Another example, if you have a financial goal (to pay off debt or save), break it down by month and paycheck, so that big chunk of change doesn't seem as intimidating.
5. Plug into a community to keep you accountable.
Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to results. When times get tough (and your resolution seems like it may be easier to give up on), having a community to lean on is invaluable.
The American Society of Training & Development reports that you more than double the likelihood of completing a goal if you move from deciding to do it to committing to report back to someone on your progress.
If you are interested in an accountability program, and want more information about how I can help keep you accountable to your goals, email me.
6. Fill your head with positivity in 2017.
You can't expect to have a positive life without a positive mind. Starting your day off with 20 minutes of positive vibes can drastically impact the rest of your day. Personally, I love to listen to podcasts or audio books while I am getting ready in the morning or driving in the car (so that I can't use the excuse that I don't have time).
Some of my favorite audio books include: You Are A Badass, The Magic of Thinking Big, Trust And Believe with Shaun T, and The Chalene Show with Chalene Johnson.
7. Reward yourself when you hit certain milestones/goals.
Rewarding yourself for your healthy efforts will reinforce your new habits and inspire you to continue your journey. Make the reward meaningful to you; there may be a pair of lulu pants you were eyeing up, a mani/pedi, or day at the spa.
If your goals are mainly related to your health and fitness, I would recommend you steer clear from food related rewards. While a treat meal a week won't do damage to your progress...rewarding yourself with treats TOO OFTEN can derail it. You aren't a dog, so don't treat yourself that way.
2017 is the chance for real change.
A New Year is like a blank notebook. You get to write anything you want in it. Fill the first page of your notebook with your New Year’s resolutions. Use the 7 steps above to make sure you keep true to your Resolution in 2017.
