New Year New Changes

The new year is upon us, and like most Americans, you’re probably thinking about changes coming in January — New Year New Changes thrust upon you, but also changes you choose to make for yourself.

Why do we make resolutions? New Year’s resolutions are actually part of a tradition that began with the Ancient Babylonians. They marked the new year by paying off debts and returning items they had borrowed throughout the year. That’s a little like our modern resolutions: we pay off personal debts by giving up sugar or promising to hit the gym in order to pay for the weight we gained the year before; and the thing we borrow the most is time. We promise ourselves we’ll make time for a hobby, for seeing friends more, for developing an awesome marketing strategy. And of course, within a month these commitments have fallen by the wayside and we’re back to our old, often bad, habits.

Why don’t we follow through on our resolutions? According to Psychology Today, there are a couple of reasons that happens. We make resolutions in order to institute a change in ourselves, but most of us aren’t really ready to make real changes to our habits and lifestyles. When we’re truly ready, we’ll do it, regardless of the time of year! In addition, at New Year’s we usually make unrealistic goals and place extremely high expectations on our own shoulders. It’s a lot of pressure — and when we don’t see immediate results for our very hard work, we often give up. Our lives have not suddenly changed for the better, so what’s the point of even trying?

How we can keep resolutions:

There is hope! Experts agree that there are a couple of steps you can take to make it more likely that you will follow through on your resolution this year. And yes, that’s resolution singular: that’s the first step.

• Pick ONE goal. Don’t beat yourself up. Work on one thing and you’re more likely to succeed because your energy is focused and so are you.
• Make it realistic — and specific. This is the difference between “I’m going to keep the whole house scrubbed and perfect!” and “I’m going to write out a list of chores to be accomplished each week and check them off as I go along.” The first one will probably make you insane. The second one can be started at the kitchen table with a nice cup of coffee.
• Do the research. Get the facts before you start, and you’re more likely to succeed.
• Implement your plan. This may seem like the final step, but it’s not. You will act on your resolution in incremental steps that are achievable and lead to the next level. Throughout the year you’ll be celebrating small accomplishments, tweaking your plan, and working toward your goal.

When you follow these steps, you’ll actually see the positive results of the change you’re making, and you’ll be more likely to keep going until you reach your goal.