How to Stick to New Year Resolutions (A serious, non-frivolous post)
I used to be a firm believer of ‘let tomorrow worry about itself’. Then one sunny day 12 years ago, a dear church mate of mine, YS, brought me to her house to show me her 60-year plan on an Excel spreadsheet (complete with her targetted age to have grandchildren). She ‘strongly encouraged’ me to do likewise. Rather, she hounded me almost every week about it till I promised her I’d start with planning one year ahead, for a start. I haven’t looked back since.
And in the last 5 years, it definitely helped to have a darling spouse who is just as manic as YS about planning for the future and saving up all his acorns for a rainy day. So how to make resolutions work?
I have 5 rules of thumb:
1) LIKE your resolutions
Many people dread the resolutions that they set for themselves. Things like: run the marathon this year when they can’t even stand jogging in the park. Why bother setting such resolutions? Resolutions should be fun and exciting and challenging; do something you’ve always wanted to do but have never done before! (Of course, I’m talking about resolutions that make you a better you one year later, not the kind that breaks the world record for ‘eating the most french fries in 365 days’.)
2) DESIRE to achieve them
Think of something you want to do. How badly do you really want to achieve it? 50%? That’s being halfhearted. Forget about setting the resolution. 60%? Still halfhearted. 80% is not good enough. Based on past experience, I found B’s Theory of Fulfilling Resolutions very true: If you want to achieve something, you need to WANT it at least 90%.
3) Make the resolution SMART
Yes, the old acronym:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time-frame
I don’t know the source, but it’s a great guideline that works!:)
4) ACCOUNT to someone
The more you tell people about it, the more likely it is to happen. (which explains this post;P)
5) R&R: Review and Reward
I like to flip through my list every now and then and put a big tick/ smiley face beside those things I’ve achieved. Then I’ll reward myself with something nice:) That’s very often and that’s why I like to set myself easily reachable goals. Heehee!
Here’s a snippet of my New Year Resolutions this year! I’ve usually group them according to the categories below. There are many more resolutions per category but some are personal and I don’t wish to bore with a long list!
So if you’ve read this, let me challenge you to set one fun and exciting new year resolution this year! 😀
