Health goals are the leading category of New Year’s resolutions, which is why it’s so popular to start diets or a new exercise program in the month of January. One of the most effective ways to make a resolution stick is to check in about your self-perception and belief in yourself. If you believe that you have unlimited, strong self-control and confidence in your ability to set and achieve your goals, then your chances of success are much greater and you will naturally set more goals for yourself.
The second part of successfully meeting your goals is becoming an active participant. Just saying that you’re going to lose weight doesn’t automatically make it happen. You have to make it happen by doing research on effective quitting methods and seeking out other means of support and resources to achieving your goal. Otherwise you’ll be making a half-hearted attempt that winds up in failure.
Some Do’s & Dont’s in keeping resolutions are:
– Don’t wait until the last minute to make your New Year’s resolutions turn to actions
– Do have pre-set coping strategies lined up for dealing with problems or challenges that may arise along the way
– Don’t base your New Year’s resolutions actions on rash feelings or reactions that may have surfaced during your New Year’s Eve celebration
– Do track your progress, monitor and seek out feedback on your goals
– Don’t structure your mental focus of your resolutions as affirmations that are based on ultimatums such as, “I will never do X again”
– Do set ongoing realistic goals