New Years’ is just around the corner and it is time to give some thought regarding what yours will be! Everyone makes New Year’s resolutions usually associated with losing weight and finances that are healthy promises easily made and easily broken sometimes the next day. If you are the type that has done this in the past, then this year when you make New Year’s resolutions, write them down and post them somewhere you can see them every day. Remind yourself of these resolutions so you at least think about them every day. You still might not keep them all of the time, but even if you keep them every second day, you are ahead of the game! This is one of the most difficult things that most people face. How do they actually meet their New Years Resolutions? For more ideas, read on!
Motivation to Keep New Years Resolutions
That is of course if you really have the motivation to keep them. Many people just make them so they can say they are making New Year’s resolutions and then forget them the next day. This post is not going to help these people that are not serious at all so don’t waste your time. On the other hand, if you are serious about New Year’s resolutions, then maybe you have a chance of keeping them. Take a moment and read the rest of this post. Even if you pick out one nugget of information that helps you, you are ahead of the game! Pick something that is achievable, that will take some commitment. If you select something that is outside your ability to achieve, you may just get discouraged and quit. Everyone wants to be a winner!
New Years Resolutions – Surveys
According to a Sun Life Financial survey conducted by Ipsos Reid, with the new year quickly approaching, three-quarters of Canadians are resolving to improve something about themselves. Health-based resolutions are by far the most popular with over two-thirds of those making resolutions (74 percent) stating they resolve to either increase exercise or lose weight in 2011. Eating healthier (31 percent) rounded out the top three choices.
However, when it comes to making permanent changes, eight out of ten respondents admit they’ve failed to keep past resolutions with a lack of motivation and willpower (76 percent) identified as the main barrier to maintaining new year lifestyle changes. Thirty-eight percent also cited a lack of money followed by lack of time (35 percent).
So How do You Keep New Years Resolutions?
All resolutions are good ideas and often will improve your overall lifestyle and quality of life regardless of what they are. So we are all off to a good start, however, the easy part is making them and the hard part is to keep them. Talk is cheap!
Select relatively easy resolutions to keep and set stages or milestones that take you in the direction of completing your resolution. This way you will feel that you have achieved something each time you reach a new milestone. We all need positive feedback and to see progress. This is one way to ensure that you get both.
People who set resolutions that are fun to achieve such as travel or visiting with relatives are easier to keep than others that are more difficult such as losing weight. Chances are you will keep the good ones that are fun and not some of the others unless you make a real effort with a firm plan.
Smoking, Drinking, Saving, Reducing Debt
These are all very difficult resolutions to keep if you are trying to smoke less, drink less, save more and reduce your debt. Each one requires commitment and a specific plan with dates. Also, objectives if you are going to have any success at all in meeting your goals.
Some people can go cold turkey regarding smoking less or stopping. Most cannot and the relapse rate is pretty high. Other people will gradually cut back until they are hardly smoking at all. They may only smoke at parties or in stressful situations. This is like placing candy in front of a child and telling him not to eat it.
Whatever your plan, select wisely and select goals that you can reasonably achieve. If you would like to leave a comment that will benefit our readers please do so. Comments that help our readers or give ideas are well received and supported by this site.