How to make successful resolutions

How to make successful New Years Resolutions

Did you set a resolution this year? As we reflect on our progress to date, we often we ask questions like:

• How do you feel about your achievement verses your original goal?

• Did you smash it or is there a degree of disappointment?

• If you are disappointed with your progress, at which point did you stop trying and why?

  Perhaps your intentions were good and you started well but struggled to achieve your goals when you became busy or distracted by your day to day problems?

In this blog I’ll be looking at 5 main reasons why our resolutions don’t work, and how to reverse engineer a resolution to ensure that you can stick to your goals and progress throughout 2024.

1.Your goal was not specific

Wooly or soft resolutions just aren’t specific enough, meaning you have no guide stick by which to measure your achievement, for example: “This year, I want lose some weight” OR “This year I want to earn more money”. These sorts of resolutions are set by the majority of us, but they mean little. The question we need to ask is WHY? and HOW? A better resolution would be “This year I WILL lose 20 pounds” or “This year I WILL earn £2k more” With these measures you can be sure whether you have achieved them! -Clarity is key!

What to do?

Create a goal against the SMART principles: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timed.

2. You make the same resolution every year

If you find yourself making the same resolution for a number of years, it clearly doesn’t work. If you really wanted to achieve your goal- I MEAN REALLY! then you’d have done it and progressed to the next stage. If you didn't reach your target in 2023 why is 2024 going to be any different? Setting and repeating old goals will only reinforce the behaviour of failure, with the wrong MIND(set) repeated failure is can be catastrophic. Eventually you will give up setting yourself any goals at and become demotivated.

What to do?

Be more imaginative with your goal setting, find something that is really important to you and really get to the core of your motivations- if your goal is not slightly scary, it’s too easy and you’ll lack the inspiration or discipline to change your daily habits.

3. your goal was not emotionally focussed

Let’s look at this by using an example: Last year you made a resolution to become healthier, by being more active and watching what you eat -you’ve been to the docs, who tells you that your BMI is too high. You went home, and resolved to “get healthy” and you tried really hard. The first week was a struggle, the second was unbearable, the third was like torture, and you went back to your old ways.

What to do?

The intention to change, here is a good one, but not much more. This is a classic example of when emotion should play a pivotal part in goal setting. Grab a pen and paper spend time writing your WHY….. You might yourself writing things like: “Because I want to have more confidence” or “I’d like to be in a loving relationship and less alone” or “I wan’t to be able to play ball with my Grandchildren and reduce the risk to my health” or “Because I want to see my child get married”.

These emotions are scary for some of us, however if you avoid them you will not be fully committed to change.

Now explore these feelings further. Ask yourself why? ask again, why? and keep asking until you touch a nerve. Now use this energy to propel you to action.

“Why until you cry and the how’s will take care of themselves!” -Mark Coles

4. You copied your Friend

WAIT, no SERIOUSLY WAIT…..Your friend is a daredevil and loves jumping, between high rise buildings without a safety harness. You, on the other hand have a fear of standing on a chair to change a light bulb! -Never do anything just because someone else is doing it. You are truly unique and your goals -need to be your own. Other peoples goals will not work for you because you don’t have their values and you care about different things.

What to do?

Set goals for yourself, for your own success and growth. Use this blog to help you :-)

5. you focussed too much on the result not the process

This one needs a bit of reverse engineering. When you set your goal, set a smart goal (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed!). You wanted to deadlift 100 pounds, It was a new resolution- one which means you’d be stronger (for yourself) and would give you the confidence to rock the gym every time you go. But each time you get in the gym you can’t deadlift more than 50! Your mind tells you you’re a failure.- This is a goal based resolution….

What to do?

Invent a goal that is journey centric, by this I mean, focus on the journey, the individual steps... What do you need to do to deadlift 55 pounds? 60 pounds and so on? Allow yourself to set a macro (large goal, perhaps 12 months) and micro (small goal, usually daily)- these are daily actions to ensure you get closer to lifting 100 pounds through consistency and repetition. For someone who wants to lose weight the micro goal may be to drink more water or to eat 10% less. Thinking of daily actions and habits allow you to take control day after day, focus on today and then tomorrow. Eventually, with consistency you will reach that big goal.

Would yo like to discuss ways in which you can set goals which are based on daily habits and to progress towards a better, stronger, healthier you then get in contact: 07713 328010 or use the button below.

Let’s work together to ensure you become YOUR best. WIshing you a happy and healthy 2024.

Andy x

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