4 Ways To Succeed at Achieving your New Years Resolution
It's that time of year again guys!
As another year draws to a close, no doubt you will be looking back at what you have achieved this year, reflecting on the achievements, the things you didn't quite reach and those goals that you set out to achieve but never got started on them.
Do you have difficulty sticking to your New Years Resolutions?
Don't worry, you're not the only one, in fact, just under half of those who set new year goals have not even started or are still hanging in there 6 months down the line.
This is due to us setting goals in January without any or very little planning involved.
Vague resolutions such as losing weight, getting rich, find a new job or eat better become our mantras.
If you truly want to achieve a goal next year, you need to get too work:
1. BREAK YOUR GOAL DOWN INTO ACHIEVABLE TARGETS.
One of the main reasons people have a hard time achieving their new year targets, is because the goals are too general. The big one is usually 'get fit' or 'lose weight', what exactly does that mean? Personal fitness is different for everyone. Are you trying to put on muscle or shed the body fat? Are you focused on altering your diet, activity levels, or both?
Think about the specifics or your goal and break it dow into small, manageable bits.
For example, your new years goal is to lose 2 stone by the end of March.
Lets break that down, to achieve that target, you need to focus on losing 2.3 pounds per week to achieve this.
Braking it down like this can make the goal seem a lot more achievable. Instead of thinking 'how on earth am I going to lose 28 pounds in 3 months?' you will be thinking 'I need to lose 2.3 pounds this week'. Having a smaller number in mind makes the goal far less intimidating.
2. SCHEDULE CHECK INS.
It is definitely more common than you think to have forgotten about you new years goals completely after a few weeks or months into the year.
Everyday life can catch up with you and play a huge factor in your putting your goals on the back burner. You may be too focused on family or work life or other obligations to stay focused on you and your goals.
Try to schedule several days throughout the year and reassess the progress that you are making towards your resolutions.
Make one day each month to assess the following:
How close are you to achieving your goal?
What have you done in the last month that has contributed to your goal?
What will you do next month to work towards your goal?
3. DON"T LET FAILURE STOP YOU?
It is incredibly difficult to sustain your efforts to achieve your goals all year round.
Once you start to lack the motivation, it's all too easy to start talking yourself out of it
You must recognise, that you can still move forward, even if you have come to a complete halt.
Take dieting for example, a cheat day can often turn into a cheat week if motivation is beginning to drop, but remember that you can always restart your diet at anytime. The same goes for your workout routine, a few days off the gym can always turn into a few in the gym. Its up to you to continue that progress.
4. MEASURE EVERYTHING.
Break your goals down into manageable units.
Measure the percentage of your goal that is complete vs the incomplete.
Measure your body!
Keep a journal and log everything you have done that is in relation to your goal, even if it's a setback.
I hope you are all ready to tackle the new year and have all set some goals that you really want to go for.
Remember to make them specific.
Want to lose weight? How much?
Want to do a run? How far?
If you haven't, you can still get started on your plans, its never too late.
Happy new year everybody!
Heres to 2017!!!