It’s that time of year of year again.
Christmas is over, the new year beckons and we all start thinking about what life holds for us in 2016. You’re finally over the wine and food hangover from Christmas Day and you’ve decided that 2016 will be your year! So you sit down and write your resolution for the New Year.
I’ve noticed an interesting trend in the media in recent weeks discouraging people from making resolutions. They describe how making a resolution can only set you up for failure. How most people will fail their resolution in January. How gym memberships soar but only for the first few weeks of the year.
There are two important things to take from this. The first is that they’re right, most people break their resolutions quickly if not straight away. The second, and more important point, is to realise that this should not prevent you from making a resolution in the first place, you just need to do it correctly.
Setting a Goal
We will all have different targets for the year, from promotion to weight loss, and it is important to set yourself the right type of goal.
When considering your goal it is important to set yourself a quantifiable target. A set target allows us to measure progress and plan a route to success. Consider the following two resolutions, which is easier to aim for?
I will lose weight
or
In 2016 I would like to lose 2 stone in weight
The first resolution is well-intentioned but vague. You can measure your weight loss, but not your progress towards an ultimate goal. You’ve also set yourself a time limit; this goal must be reached by the end of the year. Both of these factors make it easier to motivate your self and visualise the end result you desire.
Waypoints and Targets – Your Plan
Take the time to plan out how you are going to achieve your resolution. You don’t necessarily need to come up with a day by day breakdown of your plan but you do need concrete ideas on how to achieve your goal otherwise it will never happen.
Remaining with the example above, there are several different routes you could take, joining a sports club, eating less junk food, cutting out sugary soft drinks, calorie counting, weekly gym sessions, a specific diet plan or a combination of all the above.
Come up with a rough idea of how you will achieve your goal, with a more specific plan for the first couple of weeks. But remember, the waypoints are not your resolution, the end point is what matters.
Failure
One point that has been missed by the resolution naysayers is around the point of failure.
Just because you miss a target, you have not failed your resolution
In all likelihood you will have a bad day, a day where you don’t achieve what you want. This is not failure. This is human nature.
What you need is the persistence to realise that one set back is not the end. You made need to reassess your targets and come up with a new plant, but it is not failure.
If you’ve set a good resolution then a temporary set back is not an issue.
Back to our example;
You want to lose two stone in a year, you’ve planned your targets and know that you need to lose around 2 1/2 pounds a month for the year to reach your target. You’ve decided that a weekly gym trip will be enough to achieve this. You stick to it.
At the end of January you excitedly jump on the scales, ready to tick off the first waypoint. To your horror, you’ve managed to gain a pound in the last month!
This is where the perseverance comes into play. This is not a failure. You just need to adjust your plan.
Have you been eating more to compensate going to the gym? Have you been snacking more often because you’ve earned it by exercising? Re-assess your plan and come up with a different option. Try combining the exercise with something else.
Key Points
To achieve your resolution this year:
- Set a quantifiable aim
- Set waypoint targets to achieve along the way
- Measure your progress
- Reassess your targets if necessary
- Never Give Up
Zealous Thinking 