Every year, enthusiasts around the world take their diaries and scribble a list of to-dos with the hope of making radical changes happen. Unfortunately, most resolutions fade before the new year decorations are down. We worked up some failsafe ways to help to stick with it this year:
Set realistic targets: When making a resolution, try not to override practicality with your ambition. You know yourself the best. Set targets that you are most likely to at least try and achieve. For example, trying to be a size 2 in one year when you’ve been a size 10 all your life is a far-flung idea. However, a target of losing 20 kilos in a year, especially if you are admittedly a big foodie, is realistic enough.
Make your goals specific and measurable: “I have to get thin this year” is vague. “I will lose at least 20 kilos this year” is specifically stated and therefore clearly envisioned. When you have a clear vision of where you wish to go, it is easier to carve the footsteps that will lead you to your destination.
Break your resolution into mini goals: One big goal can be too overwhelming and can set in a low morale. Break it down into smaller, achievable assignments that don’t put too much pressure on you all at a time. So, if losing 20 kilos is your big goal, spread it thin with smaller tasks like going to the gym thrice every week for a year, eating a light dinner every day, etc.
Make your goals time-specific: No goal is measurable or specific enough if not accompanied with a timeline. So if you still don’t see yourself losing 2 kilos and it’s already November that year, this is where you’ve gone wrong. Losing 20 kilos in a year will be better executed if you stick to losing 2 kilos every month.
Track your progress periodically: Once you’ve set measurable goals within a time frame, get to work, but also look back regularly to see how far you’ve come. Tracking your progress ensures that you know it when you’ve failed a particular assignment (refer to point # 2) and lets you get to the reason of it and therefore helps you avoid further goof ups.
Focus on the path more than the goal: Constantly looking at your big goal can be more depressing than motivating, because it looks like a lot to achieve. Once you’ve made yourself an effective plan for achieving your target, keep faith in it. And in yourself. Tell yourself that if you do what you need to do everyday, you’re sure to reach your goal by the end of the year, as planned.
If you fail, forgive yourself and move on: You knew right from the beginning this wasn’t easy. Therefore slip-ups are bound to occur. Get rid of the notion that you are going to get it right at the first attempt. Acknowledge and accommodate for failures. But remember to always get up and get going. This is the most important of all the clauses.
Get help: Making a change happen and sticking with it for one full year is challenging. You do not have to make it more difficult by doing it alone. Being teased for ordering salads when everyone else is gorging on burgers is a bigger torture than passing on the burger. Share your plans with family and friends so that they can be supportive and encouraging when they want to. And if you’re clueless as to why, in spite of all your efforts, you’ve reached a standstill on your weight loss journey, opt for expert help. A professionally planned diet plan and exercise chart is likely to get you speedier results.
New year resolutions aren’t, after all, much different from what we face in our everyday life, whether or not we commit ourselves to one this year. It all comes down to trying as best as you can. After all, you never fail until you stop trying, said Albert Einstein.
