Ten Tips for Setting (and Sticking) Life-Changing Resolutions

It’s time for that annual ritual of making (and breaking) our New Years resolutions. There is something about the idea of ​​being able to start over that motivates us to pause (at least briefly) and reflect on our lives as they are and how we would like them to be. However, how many times have you thought about the goals of the past year and found that many or most of them were abandoned or simply forgotten after a few weeks or months in the year?

Many of us have a difficult time meeting our resolutions due to factors such as setting unrealistic goals, not making them challenging enough, and / or lacking the motivation to meet them. The following tips will help you get on the right track and help you stay committed to your most important goals for 2006.

Start with a vision of life

If you don’t know what you want your future to be like, how can you decide what areas of your life you need to work on? Spend some quiet time TODAY pondering (and writing) what is good, bad, or incomplete. Then try to “see” your life if all of these areas were addressed and made satisfying for you.

Get organized

Eliminate clutter. Go through old paperwork, files, bills and receipts, cabinets, drawers and storage containers. Decide what you need and what to use and throw away or give away all the rest. Set aside some time each week for this purpose. Once you’ve cleaned up, you can think about your existing systems for management and storage and see if they need an overhaul or just a few tweaks. Keep ONE calendar to record all appointments, events, etc. Write everything down, don’t rely on memory.

Expand your horizons and commit to learning something new.

Challenging yourself will infuse you with greater energy and a sense of purpose. It will help you build your self-esteem by realizing that you really are capable of more than you previously believed. This new learning may also give you additional resources to help you in your career, personal life, or love.

Set challenging but realistic resolutions

Choose goals that stretch the muscles of your ability, but are realistic and therefore less vulnerable to failure. Don’t respond to that negative inner voice that says; “oh, I’m not capable of that.” Instead, focus on what you really want for your life and relationships and let this be your guide.

Write down your resolutions

Write them down and post them on your bathroom mirror, on your refrigerator, on your dashboard, on your desk, or anywhere you know will be a good place to see them. You can also show them to a good friend, family member, coach, or anyone who can provide support and encouragement.

Create action steps for each resolution; write them down and keep track of your progress for each one.

A resolution without planned action is doomed to failure. Break each goal down into small action steps or goals. Setting a date for completion will help ensure follow-up. Create an accountability system that works for you. Be sure to mark each achievement as you go along and be flexible and willing to make adjustments to your action steps to achieve your desired end results.

Take care of yourself; eat well. Get regular exercise and learn to manage and eliminate harmful stress.

I know this is obvious, so why is it so often ignored or overlooked when trying to make major life changes? How many times have you said “I don’t have time” to eat well, exercise, sleep properly, etc.? Not taking care of yourself will guarantee failure. So why not make this your first and most important resolution for 2006?

Work to remove bad clothes

Including this as a New Years resolution would put you on the path to good follow-up. Bad habits will sabotage your efforts and consume your limited resources of time, energy, and concentration. For every bad habit you decide to eliminate, have one good habit in mind to replace it.

Set healthy and appropriate limits in all areas of your life.

Knowing your limits and enforcing them with yourself and others is a prerequisite for a healthy life and relationship. Learn to say “no” and “stop” and be firm in your determination that this is a good thing to do. Otherwise, you are also undermining your resolve to take care of yourself.

Work to be the type of person you want to be with.

Bringing out the best qualities in yourself will help you attract good quality people into your life. You don’t want to compromise the standards you have set for a potential partner. Therefore, it is important to understand that this also holds true for other people looking for relationships.

Now start this year with the determination to be the person you know you have the potential to be. You will be pleased with the wonderful changes that await you!

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