NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS....Do you make them?...How important are they?

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The New Year is slowly coming, and with the holiday season already upon us many of us are indulging in retrospection and re-evaluating some of their life choices. New Year’s resolutions are the perfect opportunity for most people to start making the changes they would like to see in the new year. I should point out that while I am not a huge fan of making "new year resolutions" (i rarely succeed in keeping them lol), I am a big fan creating goals for myself especially at the start of the year. I guess its about the same thing right? 

What is a resolution?

Simply put, it is a FIRM decision to do or not to something. It becomes a new year resolution when you resolve to do it from the start of the year. New year resolutions aren’t a new phenomenon. In the early days, the Babylonians made promises to their gods at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts while the Romans began each year by making promises to the god Janus, for whom the month of January is named. Irrespective of the origins, we can all agree that the idea behind making new year resolutions is to reflect upon self-improvement annually.

HOW DO WE MAKE RESOLUTIONS?

I once saw a quote which said “Your goals aren’t really your goals …until you make a plan and work hard to make them happen” and to me this sums up how to make a resolution. To make these resolutions, it is key to employ the tool of goal-setting. This will help in making those important decisions and sticking to them.

Goal setting I believe is a powerful process for thinking about your BIG PICTURE, and for motivating yourself to turn your vision of this into reality. The process of setting goals helps you choose where you want to go in life. By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you know where you have to concentrate your efforts. You'll also quickly spot the distractions that can, so easily, lead you astray.

HOW DO WE KEEP RESOLUTIONS?

1.      FIGURE OUT YOUR GOALS

First, it is important to carefully consider what you want to achieve and commit to them. Make SMART goals and by this I mean (S)pecific, (M)easurable, (A)ttainable, (R)elevant and (T)ime-bound goals that motivate you.. Then plan the steps you must take to realize your goal, and cross off each one as you work through them.

Here’s a classic example of a SMART goal: if your goal is to lose 10kg of weight in four months, you could write: – I will go to the gym three times per week. – I will eat 500 fewer calories each day. – I will eat junk food and sweets only once a week. – I will drink fizzy drinks once in two weeks. – I will walk for 45 minutes every day.

Now that’s a specific plan or a roadmap that will lead you to your desired destination and achieving your goal.

In a nut-shell:

·         Identify the large-scale goals

·         Break down into smaller targets or sub-goals

·         Start working on them.

2.      WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS

A research carried out in Harvard University showed that those who took time to write down their

goals achieved their goals 10 times more than those who didn’t.

This tells you that writing down your goals increases your chances of realising them and to me writing them down makes them feel tangible.

If you can’t find a paper, you could write the answers in a note on your phone or laptop. But, I would recommend using a paper. Personally, I have my fitness goals for example, written on sticky notes pasted on my fridge and bedroom wall so I can see them every day, but I have also written my short-term goals in my phone.

3.      MAKE YOUR GOALS SPECIFIC

It is not enough to write goals down but it is very important that make them as specific as possible. For instance, “I want to lose 10kg of fat,” is hugely different from “I want to lose 10kg of fat in the next four months.” The second is specific and gives you a deadline that will push you to take action

4.      GIVE DEADLINES

Have a structured deadline to meet your target but make sure these deadlines are somehow realistic. You can’t say you want to lose 10kg in 2weeks (this used to be me before lol) but that is almost impossible and unrealistic. What is ideal is for you to give yourself a deadline that is challenging enough to push you and motivate you to take action, without being extremely tough to achieve.

Here I am using example of my weight loss because I feel and know that a lot of people can relate to that. Being obese was something I struggled with for as long as I can remember and from my experience i know that a lot of women have this same struggle. Having set goals and accomplishing most of them in this area makes it easier for me to discuss.  I later came to understand that  I struggled to lose weight basically because I  didn't plan properly. I had the big picture but forgot to create a realistic path to that picture. So for example I will say i want to lose 20kg and after a month  I would manage to lose just 3kg and  I found myself depressed . I usually gave up and ate even more . Was it possible to lose 20kg in a month? Did I get to that weight in one month? Of course not . So why did I think I would lose such a ridiculous amount of weight in such a short time ? My mentality was all messed up . The moment I understood this and started making more realistic plans, I started winning!

SUPPORT SYSTEMS

Whatever your vision, goals, big picture is, you need an adequate support system to help you. Don't forget that no man is an island on his own. You need people. No one can get successful all by him/herself. Success is achieved by joining forces with people on the same wave length as you. Negative people can be toxic and put a damper on your vision. Therefore, you only want to surround yourself with like-minded people.   I can’t tell you enough how much this has made a difference in my life. Take my fitness journey for example, when I first decided to lose weight, a lot of people around me didn’t understand why I would decide to lift weights, or workout twice a day. Some days I felt bad about sharing my journey on social media because of the negativity. But all that stopped the moment I found other people who understood my vision. Now I have managed to build a community with like-minded people and we all encourage each other when we lack the motivation to keep going.

Here the question should be- Are the people around me supporting my vision 100% or am I constantly defending my worth and your ability?

It can be difficult pursing a dream of yours if someone was constantly telling you that it will never be as big as you think, or it won’t last forever. It is very discouraging; trust me, I know. Therefore making the choice to only have people around you who support your vision will be the smartest decision you will make in 2017.

Here are other ways of building a good support system :

·         Connect with those who have more knowledge in your area of interest -trust me you will need their input!

·         Find people who do not just talk to you but LISTEN to your ideas and concerns.

·         Let your words and mind be positive at all times.

MEASURING YOUR SUCCESS AND CELEBRATING YOURSELF

DO NOT live up to someone else’s idea of success. Your accomplishments and successes are yours, not theirs. And you should to measure success by your own standard.

You are the one who decides exactly what it means to be successful in any area of your life.  The time to make that decision is during the goal setting process. Doing so will allow you to identify and celebrate each personal success along the way.

Remember the sub-goals? This is why we make them. Accomplishing each of your sub-goals should be the standard for measuring your progress. And for each sub-goal you accomplish , sit back , breathe and pat yourself on the back!

I originally set out to lose 20kg in one year (large-scale goal) but I decided that I will start by losing 3-4kg every month (sub-goal). And each time I hit my monthly target , I rewarded myself with a nice dress, or lovely workout outfit! As small as that was, it worked. Looking forward to something at the end of each month kept me going. I managed to surpass my large-scale goal and went on to lose 35kg. At the moment I have moved my target to 50kg and I will be using the same method to achieve what is left of my goals.

I must point out that if your goal is fitness related, try not to reward yourself with food. You will only end up sabotaging your efforts. Whatever your goal is, reward each step you accomplish with something fun and meaningful. Eg. Spa day, a nice dress or shoe, a trip to a new place, ticket to a nice show  or the movie etc.

NEW YEAR RESOLUTION IDEAS

Here are 20 resolutions that are common and popular. Feel free to adopt any of them :

1.      Get in shape and lose weight

2.      Become more active

3.      Stop procrastinating

4.      Learn a skill

5.      Earn more money

6.      Save more money

7.      Get out of debt

8.      Read more books

9.      Watch less TV and spend less time on social media

10.  Find a significant other

11.  Learn a new language

12.  Travel more

13.  Get over an ex

14.  Turning a hobby into a career

15.  Controlling anger

16.  Become more social

17.  Spend more time with loved ones

18.  Start writing a book or keep a journal

19.  Become more tolerant

20.  Spend more time with God