Another year is upon
us. Apparently about half of us make New Year’s resolutions each
year. Some of us already joined the gym , others have started a diet
or maybe some have given up smoking...
So why do so many of
us wait until the beginning of the year to decide to do something
about whatever we are unhappy with, be it our health, weight, well
being, productivity... Is it the guilt of too much food eaten over
Christmas, or maybe the pressure set by everyone else setting NY
resolutions or maybe it’s an excuse to reinvent yourself with a
fresh start to the year? Whatever it is... I am sorry but I may
disappoint you when I tell you that according to research, more than
half of you will fail your New Year’s resolutions by Valentine’s
Day.
So let’s take a
closer look at why it is that New Year's resolutions don’t work.
Is your goal too
big?
The excitement of
the new year, fresh start, new beginning, you name it, may make us
often set over ambitious and unrealistic goals. We want to make so
many changes, want to quit smoking, find a partner, or we want to
loose weight, so we buy a running kit, gym membership and set an
ambitious target of going to the gym every day or at least 5 times a
week etc. Then life gets in the way and our plans and resolutions may
start to crumble, so don’t only rely on your will power. Instead,
break down your goals into realistic and manageable pieces. You
wouldn’t eat an elephant in one piece, would you? To loose weight
start taking the stairs, walk instead of driving when you can, cut
down on biscuits or chocolate. Sometimes smaller steps may lead to
big change faster than you think. By all means, do your exercise 5
times a week, but if you fail, don’t give up and wait until next
January to set yourself new goals. Just continue with small actions,
make progress towards your goals, as then you are much more likely to
succeed.
Is your goal
truly and deeply important to you?
Sometimes we may
fall into a trap of setting goals that are not truly ours as we get
influenced by other people’s goals. What are your reasons for
getting fitter? What makes it so important for you to loose weight?
What are the benefits of finding a new job?
The moment you
understand the importance and your own reasons for change, the more
committed you become to achieving your goal. So take time to think
and reflect on what really matters to you, as the time you invest in
this self reflection will pay back with the motivation to achieve
what matters to you most.
Do not think
about a big yellow gorilla!
I asked you, DO NOT
think about a big yellow gorilla and what did you do? Even if you
have a very strong mental control, most likely an image of a big
yellow gorilla popped into your head. Why? Because our subconscious
doesn’t differentiate “do” and “don’t”. It concentrates
on the object (in this case a big yellow gorilla) making it hard to
resist not thinking and imagining the object in question.
So what does this
have to do with New Years’ resolutions?
We often concentrate
on things we don’t want rather than on things we do want. By trying
to resist thinking about things we want to avoid, be it chocolate,
alcohol, cigarettes, we actually attract the thoughts of things we
want to get rid of in the first place.
Solution?
If you have a habit
or behaviour you would like to change, make your goals, resolutions
affirmative and positive. Instead of “I don’t want to be single”
wish for “I want to be in a happy relationship” or “I won’t
drink alcohol on weekdays” aim for “My weekly diet consist of
healthy food and drink”. Remember we get what we focus on!
So if you want to do
or change something, don’t wait until New Year. There is never too
late or too early to set yourself goals.
