New Year, New Resolutions – but how to make them stick?

When the New Year comes many of us get thinking about ‘resolutions’, about the things we would have liked to have done in the year that just ended, but for one reason or another (or without a real reason except that life got in the way) we didn’t. We think about changes we want to see in ourselves, how we want to improve, how to be a better person. However, even if we start off by doing some things differently, by the end of January we ‘forget’ about these life-changing goals and go back to our old ways.

Why do we do this? Why can’t we keep on with these great goals that will result in becoming a better ‘me’? It’s all about motivation and will-power! It’s so much easier to carry on the way we’ve always been, it’s automatic and therefore we do it without having to think about it, without any effort. Deciding to make a change in our way of living, of being, on the other hand, involves a lot of effort and energy – you have to constantly think about what you’re doing and how you’re supposed to act so that you don’t go against your resolution goal.

What can we do to make our resolutions work? Maybe start small, look for a smaller scale goal that you want to achieve (e.g. don’t go from no exercise to exercising every single day; maybe start by aiming for 2 or 3 days a week, and promise yourself – adding another goal / resolution – to revise this plan in 2 months and see then if you should add more weekly exercise). You can also involve someone else, a friend or a relative, join an online forum… For many people it’s much easier to stick to their plan if someone else is doing it with them or keeping up with the progress, so if possible, don’t do it alone!

Happy New Year everyone! J