Every year I make New Year’s Resolutions. Sometimes I achieve them and sometimes I don’t. I notice that when I commit to action plan, however, I always reach them. So I’m going to share with you the secrets of my success.
This year my first New Year’s Resolution is to finish my book by my mom’s birthday on April 7, 2019. My second resolution is to pray more. My third is to eat healthier, and my fourth is to save money so I can take my children to Tokyo, Japan, for the 2020 Olympic Games. My oldest son is a swimmer and he’s hoping to make the Canadian national team so he can compete at the Olympics. In addition, my daughter is a volleyball player and I’m hoping she makes the national team too. If both my children make the cut and represent Canada in 2020 in their respective sports, it will be like a dream come true. But even if they don’t, I’d like to travel with them to Tokyo and watch the Olympic sports live.
These are my own New Year’s Resolutions. What are yours? Do you intend to exercise, de-clutter your home, study something new, write a book, save money, eat healthier, learn to play a musical instrument, decrease stress, spend more time with your family, or save for a vacation? Your New Year’s Resolutions are achievable. Here are 10 ways to reach them:
1. Decide what you want to do. Make a list of your five top resolutions. Then take the first one and decide why you want to accomplish it. If you don’t have a strong desire and motivation to reach it, you never will.
2. Write down your number one resolution. When a goal is written down it sticks better.
3. Write down why you want to achieve this goal and how you will feel when you do. Your feelings are important. Will you be simply happy? Or will you be jumping up and down in celebration? Describe all the emotions you are going to experience when you reach your goal.
4. Make a deadline for achieving your goal. This makes it even more tangible.
5. Write down what would happen if you didn’t meet this goal. How would that make you feel?
6. Write the goal on a large piece of paper and place it where you can see it—maybe on your fridge door or bathroom mirror or by your television set. Stick it in a prominent place where you can see it daily.
7. Share your goal with a friend or put it on social media. We all need to be accountable to somebody, and telling your intention to a friend or to the world is a great way to stay on track.
8. Speak your goal aloud every day and talk about it as if you had already accomplished it. Say, “I am so happy to have reached my goal.”
9. Break your goal down into small chunks. For example, if your goal is to lose 20 pounds by May 1, 2019, write down how much weight you want to have lost by January 31, February 28, March 31, and by your May 1 deadline.
10. Celebrate every time you accomplish a small milestone. This will encourage you to continue.
Now set another goal. Look at the other goals on your list and repeat the steps you used to accomplish the first one.
Hurrah!
