22 Jan Keeping your New Year’s Resolutions
Original post ubabenefits.com
It’s the middle of January. Have you already abandoned your New Year’s resolutions? If you have, or are seriously considering breaking them, then there’s still hope for you. Don’t give up just yet! Well, at least not until you’ve read this.
While written a few years ago, Time magazine listed the “Top 10 Commonly Broken New Year’s Resolutions.” They are:
- lose weight and get fit
- quit smoking
- learn something new
- eat healthier and diet
- get out of debt and save money
- spend more time with family
- travel to new places
- be less stressed
- volunteer
- drink less
Do any of those sound familiar? If you look closely, you’ll notice that half of these are related to improving health. This is a noble goal, right? Then why do so many people quit? The problem isn’t the person, but the resolution. In an article on the Forbes website titled, “Making New Year’s Resolutions That You Can Actually Keep,” the author discusses why the key to keeping our resolutions is to make better ones.
For example, is the goal too vague? If you say you want to “get fit,” then does that mean compete in a marathon or just be able to walk from your office to your car without having to catch your breath? If you have a resolution to “drink less,” then don’t focus on how much you’re drinking, but what is causing you to drink more. If you live next to a liquor store or bar, or work at either of those, then go out and drink with friends, you’re probably going to have a tough time achieving that goal.
On your way to achieving your New Year’s resolutions, you should include some small, measurable results on the way to your ultimate goal. If your resolution is to quit smoking, then start small and work your way up. Don’t quit cold turkey, have one less cigarette each day until you completely stop.
Also, don’t go it alone. Enlist the help of your spouse, family, and friends to help. Tell them about a bad habit you’d like to break.
Finally, don’t set too many resolutions at once. If you truly want to have several, then start with one or two. Once those are achieved, start some of the others rather than trying to do them all at once.
Here’s to a successful new year!