Its a new year and its a time for change … millions of people are confident that 2016 will be bigger and better but no matter what your New Year’s resolution is these simple tips will help you succeed.
Science is clear – almost no New Years resolutions work!
Most people start super hopeful but nothing changes and many of us have felt the disappointment of having to try again next year. Some research even hinted that simply telling other people what your change is going to be decreases the chance that it will work. The thought is that we get some joy out of announcing the huge goal that we confuse with actually achieving it … haha … we are not so clever us humans 🙂
Real change can happen and its not actually that hard usually but it does take some strategy and you do need to be serious about it. Here are some simple steps that successful people generally take.
Be specific about the end Goal
Think through what exactly it is that you want. Take some time and imagine what you and your life will be like when you succeed so that you really burn in the effect of the change in your mind. Think about how the change will effect other people, your daily routines and your budget and health. Write down a whole lot of this and include how you will know if you have succeeded … how will you measure it.
For example if you want to be more generous this year, what will be the measure of that. Its too vague to just say more generous … do you mean with money? Time? Possessions? And exactly how generous? You could write down that you will give 5% of your income to others … or that you will volunteer 50 hours this year with a community group. Whatever your goal, be specific and flesh it right out to the real impact of that change for you and others.
Another classic mistake is to only consider the final goal rather than breaking it into smaller achievable milestones. If you want to end the year 10 kg lighter, then you could break that down to smaller targets … 1kg lighter by the end of January for example.
Write Down a Plan
How exactly are you going to change? To make real change you need a plan which is very detailed and specific and it needs to start right away. If you plan to exercise 3 times a week, then you may need some equipment, a gym membership, an alarm clock (haha) or you may need to think about exactly which days and who will mind the kids etc …. writing it all down really helps people succeed.
And don’t just write “Buy new running shoes” … write down when and from where. People who decide to change things don’t procrastinate … they start!
Ask for Help
Some people are totally self-motivated and they can gather the internal toughness to change all on their own … they are real but they are rare. The rest of us need help and so rather than just telling your friends what you are going to do in 2016 that is different, ask them to help you or chat to someone who can at least check in on you. Share your dream and your plan with them and see if they will be a small part of helping you succeed.
It doesn’t have to be just 1 person but you could ask a relative or friend to hassle you about the new shoes or to help you find some healthier recipes that you could switch to. Maybe you know someone who is great at something you struggle with and most times they will LOVE to help.
The honest truth is that most people who don’t have any accountability fail at changing their lives so if you want to see results, ask for support. Offer support too of course 🙂
There are so many other more technical ideas but at the heart of it, change is simple. It may be difficult … but the basics are generally the same. Good luck with your New Year’s resolutions schoolmums!
