Some people like to start over at the beginning of the year and therefore make New Year’s resolutions. There’s everything from the classic “I’m going to quit smoking” to more personal alternatives like “I want to call my mom once a week”.
However, the road to achieving the set goals is sometimes long and arduous. Wanting to change one’s habits always assumes that one must be willing to make corresponding concessions for decisions. New Year’s resolutions often fail when the daily routine catches up with you again.
It would not be necessary to get over this annual pile of goodwill. Experience has shown that it takes only 21 days for the body and soul to get used to new conditions and processes. So don’t last even a month and you’re past the worst phase.
We present ten very simple tricks that will help you get through this first dry period with ease and will not only help you overcome your New Year’s resolutions, but also bring them to life and integrate them into your life permanently.
1. Realize the day
Realize that January 1 is just one day. You don’t need exactly New Year’s Day to start your New Year’s resolutions. Focusing too much on that day will only increase the pressure on you. Instead, pick a day when you’re rested, 100 percent motivated, and ready. If it drops 1.1 today. falls, it’s a nice coincidence, but not essential.
2. Reduce your options
Of course, there is always a lot about yourself that you want to change. In the worst case, making too many decisions at the same time can lead to failures in all areas and just waste your energy unnecessarily. Instead, focus on one or two decisions that you truly care about. Set yourself goals that are truly realistic. With a limited choice, you can give your full attention to each goal and experience success much more easily. For example, you might also consider what areas of life you would like to improve in, rather than starting something entirely new. It is important that the goals chosen are personally relevant to you and that you can identify with them.
3. Stick to your decisions
Put your good intentions in writing. What is recorded in writing immediately becomes more important and therefore more binding. You can even sign a written contract with yourself explaining what your goals are and how you want to achieve them. These types of writing methods make decisions more real than they just exist in the head.
4. Keep your decisions handy
Write each resolution separately on a piece of paper, Post-It or a card. Place these cards so that you can look at them occasionally. The bathroom mirror, the wallet or the inside of the front door are good examples. This repeated visualization will periodically remind you of your goodwill and give you a boost of motivation because you will always be aware of why you are changing your habits.
5. Start with 100 percent
Throw yourself into a new mission 100 percent from the start. There’s no point in telling yourself that you’ll start off easy and choose to put in more effort as the year progresses. Then there is the slight danger of staying at the beginner level. Before you begin, be very clear about what you want to achieve, how you’re going to get there, and what that requires of you. Of course, as a sports amateur, you cannot run a marathon from day one – that’s not the point and purpose of the matter. It’s more about approaching your goals with enthusiasm and bringing enough momentum with you for the first few weeks.
6. Plan for problems
As I said: The path to realizing good intentions is often difficult, bumpy and not easy. You may feel like you’ve reached your limits, you don’t feel that way anymore, and then you want to smoke a cigarette or eat a pack of chocolates. Prevent such recurrences as much as possible by planning for these problems. To get started, make a list of the most likely complications you may encounter. Right next to it, make a note of proactive solutions that align with your decisions. Remember why these problematic situations can occur and what you can do about them. If you notice such potential obstacles in advance, it will be easier for you to overcome them later in the real situation.
7. Use positive language
Use positive language when thinking about or talking about your decisions. Instead of saying “I don’t want to go to the gym” say “I always feel so much better after gym workout”. Combine your determination or effectiveness with a positive (bodily) feeling, then it will be much easier to motivate yourself over and over.
8. Get support
“A shared grief is a grief divided in two” – seek support in various forms. Tell your family and friends what your plans are. On the one hand, you will always find an open ear for your problems, on the other hand, you motivate yourself because you do not want to disappoint your loved ones with failure. Another good option is to specifically look for people or groups with the same intentions and goals. These people will most likely understand what you are going through and what is going on inside you. Exchanging and sharing challenges and problems as well as achievements encourages you and confirms your decision. Such support systems can also be found online in a wide variety of variations.
9. Generate a report
Track your progress. It doesn’t matter if this is done via an app (eg Goal Tracker & Habit List for Android and iOS) or manually. With the so-called “tracking”, it’s important to record where you are with your project each day. Visualizing your progress not only keeps you in sight of how much you’ve accomplished, but more importantly, how you’ve accomplished it. Good you have mastered it. You will try to keep the success curve positive and you will gain confidence and motivation again and again.
10. Plan for rewards
Small rewards are good motivators to overcome tougher dry periods. Choose a small reward based on your preferences and interests. Of course it’s always about your decisions – if you want to quit smoking, you shouldn’t buy yourself a cigar. For example, how about going to a magazine or to the movies? Start with these small rewards on a weekly basis: Reward yourself once for each week of your last stay. After a while, switch to a monthly reward system until you eventually switch to a fully annual reward. As a reward, choose something that you look forward to and are happy to persevere with.
And finally: Be happy and celebrate your success!
Source : Blick
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
