Each year, millions of people set out with lofty goals with no means or plans to obtain them. Businesses that target specific and common resolutions, love it because of the profit they make on the failure of others. Pretty glum if you ask me, but we’re going to discuss how to make your resolution actually stick, what you can do to make sure that it succeeds and how to track your success.
First, determining your will to succeed and I mean really succeed, is the hardest part. Let’s say that your goal is to lose weight. How much are you willing to change in your everyday habits in order to make that become a reality? The reason why almost all diets will fail is because of user error, not the diet program itself. You see, it’s up to you how you proceed and doing a little research before beginning a program like that is even more important. As far as the food part of it, you have to know what you like; for example, you choose a diet because it boasts you’ll be able to lose X pounds in X days. While the claim may very well be true, the food you’ll be asked to eat may not agree with you or you may not even like it!
Next, you have done the research before beginning a program and found one you think you can stick to. What you should understand about dieting or any type of program is that it will require you to make permanent changes. If you are trying to lose the weight in 30 days, it’s possible, but it’s more likely that it will not stay off for very long. As with any program, you are breaking one habit and forming new ones. This is life changing.
Now, you have the right program for yourself and have to prepare yourself for success. That’s right, prepare yourself for it. Envision yourself already at your goal. Imagine eating the great foods and experimenting with all of the combinations allowed on the program. Don’t call it a “diet”. Diet is a term that is associated with short term results rather than life long sustainable changes. Forming the best habits for the best that you can be is actually the true goal. Once you are eating better and even exercising, you’ll realize that it’s not a diet after all.
Tracking the success of your progress can be tricky. Since there could be setbacks, you have to be able to understand why the setbacks have happened. It’s more than you just wanted something that was outside of your program. It’s discovering the true ‘why’ of the question. Also understand that we are human and we tend to be our own worse critic for everything. Learning to forgive yourself is vital to success in whatever you do. Keep in mind that the habits that you have and are breaking have been in place, in most cases, for years. Be patient with yourself.
When all is said and done, success is ultimately measured by how you feel and not necessarily how you look, but, if you feel better you’re more likely to look better, too! Let’s knock this resolution out of the park! If you want to share it with others, do so, but remember that you are doing this for you! Happy New Year and good luck in all that you do!
Gina Olson 