By Kim Leatherdale, LPC, ATR-BC, NCC, guest blogger
Kim Leatherdale is a state licensed and nationally registered therapist based in New Jersey. She has trained in Relational Life Therapy with Terry Real, and she counsels on relationship issues, stress management, men’s issues, disordered eating, addiction, anxiety, depression and more. For more info visit Kim Leatherdale's website.
People use the turning of the year as a time to make changes; however, less than 15% of resolutions come to fruition. Here are ten ways you can help your New Year’s resolution succeed.
1. Examine your resolution. Who you are doing this for? (Hint, the answer should be you.) Make sure you feel energized and excited by the resolution, not frustrated by the thought of it. If you feel negative about it before you even start, you will never finish. If you have failed multiple times on a goal, how can you change it so it motivates you?
2. Write your goal down. All good planners know writing something down helps it happen. As you write, put some thought into it, look at what exactly you want to achieve, and make it specific.
3. Make it a commitment not a maybe. Put your energy into making it happen. Having a clearly stated and specific resolution helps. For example: “I will have X amount of money in the bank by the end of the year” is more motivating than “I want to save money.”
4. Tell others and check in with them. Find positive and supportive people who will ask you how your steps are coming. Plan to meet with them regularly, even via email. Talk with others who are strongly working on their resolutions; help each other. Motivation can be contagious.
5. Make a step by step plan including timetables. Once you have a clear goal stated, you can break it into steps, a perfect way to track your progress. If planning to save money, divide the total amount into fourths and check your balance every three months for your quarterly goal amount.
6. Remind yourself daily of your goal. If you are computer savvy, have your computer prompt you each time you sign-on. Tape it to your mirror so you see it each day. Keep it on the top of your mind so each thing you do will move you toward the fulfillment of your resolution.
7. Reward yourself for completing each step. If you wait a whole year to see progress, it can get frustrating. It is important to recognize each success so you energize yourself to keep moving forward. Set rewards that are meaningful to you in order to energize yourself.
8. Utilize resources. Look into the supports related to your goal; for example, live or online groups, books, or someone you know may have ideas to keep you going. Keep an open mind about anything that will move you forward.
9. Visualize steps and success. Your mind doesn’t know the difference between what you imagine and reality. Take a few minutes each day to actually visualize yourself happily achieving your goal. You’ll be surprised how motivating this simple step can be.
10. Don’t give up. At the beginning of the year energy is high, and it is easy to be motivated. Later, you may find you have forgotten for a week to do what you planned- don’t give up. You have the whole year to fulfill your goal, and each day is a new day.
Remember each day is a new day; small changes add up in time to larger life altering patterns. You can make a change (or resolutions) any time of the year and make life dramatically better.
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