Resolving Your Resolution Fails
Following through on New Year’s resolutions seems like the easiest thing to say but the hardest thing to do. Sure, your intentions are good. You really want to lose weight. You plan to practice more positivity. You picture yourself making healthy choices on a daily basis. Then life gets in the way. Between carpools and extended office hours or an early sunset, suddenly those goals seem a little less important than the tasks at hand. Trust me when I say you are not alone in your resolution failures. That being said, there are a few alternative approaches to these lofty propositions that may help you to stay on the straight and narrow in 2018.
Don’t overextend yourself.
When we set unachievable standards, we only set ourselves up for failure. Start small with little changes that overtime can make a greater impact without throwing off your usual routine. The more seamlessly you can implement a new aspect to your usual habits, the more likely you are to maintain it. By saying you are going to make a home-cooked meal every night of the week when your current dinner situation consists of McDonald’s drive-thrus and grab and go items from the pantry then odds are you aren’t going to break those habits cold turkey. Instead, try limiting yourself to eating out once a week, stock your fridge with healthy snack alternatives and allow yourself an adjustment period as you work towards a healthier lifestyle. Habits don’t form overnight.
Tag team your goals.
Accountability is key to your success. Find partners to reinforce your aims, and you do the same for them. As the American Psychological Association says, “Accepting help from those who care about you and will listen strengthens your resilience and ability to manage stress caused by your resolution.” Together you can strategize and assess your progress alongside someone who understand the same process you’re going through.
Accept that you aren’t going to make the right choice every time.
One failure doesn’t mean you can’t keep trying. Too often we use a mishap to constitute the end of a goal. In reality, those faults along the way are inevitable. The important thing is to keep going. As Patricia Bannan says, “The reality is most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a day and underestimate what they can accomplish in a year. If you do “pretty good” all year long, by end of year you will feel really good about what you have achieved.”
Don’t expect immediate results.
If you workout for one week, don’t expect dramatic weight loss. Resolutions are intended to be long-term goals, and as a result, the payoff may also be long-term and delayed as well. Keep a focus on the big picture. Yes, immediate rewards encourage everyone. In fact, a study found that immediate rewards predict whether or not someone sticks to a goal. Fast results inspire us, but they aren’t always feasible. Be realistic about your expectations and benchmarks.