The NYE just passed a few days ago, and I am pretty sure that you already have made a list of new year resolutions that you are so pumped to achieve in the brand new year of 2013. For me, I have a habit of keeping diary entries and on this NYE, I “accidentally” came across my new year resolutions for last year, and here is what it looked like:
1. Exercise more. Be fit.
2. Blog regularly.
3. Study hard.
I know it looks simple and kind of funny but that was really it. Looking back at the past year of 2012, how many have I accomplished? Well, sadly, I did not exercise as much as I should. I did start blogging regularly, and yes, I did study hard as well. However, being one of the top on my list, my physical health did not improve much at all. Now take a moment and think back to the NYE you had one year ago and all the beautiful resolutions you made, how many have you actually accomplished?
The truth is, a lot of people, including myself, are only motivated to achieve the new year resolutions in the first week (or a couple of weeks) or so. After the feeling of “new year” is gone, we just sort of “forget” about them. To actually keep yourself working on your new year resolutions throughout the whole year, here are a few tips I would like to share with you:
1. Focus on the positive, not the negative. It is incredible what a little subconsciousness can do for you. F0r example, instead of saying “I want to lose weight”, reword the sentence in a positive way such as “I want to be more fit/beautiful/confident/etc.” This way, your brain processes it plainly as something you want to do, instead of something you do not want to do/want to get rid of, and this makes it a much clearer goal.
2. Be specific about your goal. Continuing the last example, instead of leaving it like “I want to be more fit”, set an actual specific goal for yourself: “I want to fit into that S sized tank top” or “I want my BMI to be less than 18 at the end of the year”. A very definite goal is a lot more memorable than a “cliche” goal like “I want to lose weight”, and it will actually push you throughout the year.
3. BE LOUD about your goal. Post it on your facebook and twitter. Tell all your friends and family members about it. Put a gigantic poster on your locker that says “55KG AT DEC.31, 2013” or something like that. These people serve as excellent supervisors of your mission of achieving your resolutions. After being loud about it, you would think to yourself, “Whew I better be [goal] otherwise it’ll be so super embarrassing!” Yep, in this case, your friends and family members are here to laugh at you when you fail, and to congratulate you when you succeed. The power of “not wanting to feel embarrassed” is huge and could definitely be a helpful tool.
4. Lay out a detailed plan. Using weight-loss as an example again (seriously every single girl I know has it as a new year resolution), a monthly plan would be a good start. For example, “I want to be at the 60kg mark by Jan.31”, “59kg by Feb.28”, etc. They do not have to be big, but they need to be realistic to keep you motivated after achieving each small goal. Also, do some research on how to achieve your goal and plan your everyday life around it. For example, “eat at least one pound of fruits and veggies everyday” should be a part of the plan to be physically healthier/more fit/thinner.
5. Be organized. Not only be on top of your progress, but be organized about everything, such as your binders, your room, your locker, and even your whole house. Think of it this way: if your house is a mess and you cannot see your running shoes anywhere, how can you achieve your goal of “30 minutes of cardio everyday”? If your goal is “get an average of 90% in all my science courses”, and you do not even see your physics notes anywhere in your backpack because you are so disorganized, how can you study and accomplish that goal of yours? Things relating to the resolutions, like running shoes and study notes, remind people of their goals, and it is essential that you are organized enough to be able to see/use these whenever you need to, and not using disorganization as an excuse to give up the resolutions.
In the end, we make new year resolutions because we feel like it is a NEW year and we need a fresh start. It is a wonderful wish to improve ourselves in every way. However, if we only keep the “wishes” as wishes, then we will not be going anywhere. Hopefully, with the help of these tips, all of us can accomplish our new year resolutions and be proud to be better individuals at the end of 2013.
Happy New Year everyone!=))
be specific!