Why New Year’s Resolutions Seldom Work

Have you ever wondered why we never managed to keep our New Year resolutions? We make resolutions at the beginning of every New Year. But many of us never managed to keep up with the resolutions that we made, even the simplest one.

I heard my friend decided to keep his work table clutter free as the New Year’s resolution. The first few weeks into the New Year he managed to keep to his resolution but later the clutter comes back and he was back to square one!

Now is the time to stop making New Year resolutions but to make goals of what you want to achieve any time of the year and work towards achieving your dreams. You can do it!

Here are 5 strategies to replace New Year resolutions:

• Change the resolutions to commitments

The subconscious mind is too familiar with the word resolution. And most of the time resolution is not the word that warrants continuous action. Sometimes it does not even compel us to take any action at all.

Change the word resolution with commitment – different trigger word for the subconscious mind. And you also need a different time frame. Do not routinely set your resolutions at the end of the year when everyone else is setting them. Break free from the routine.

• Set realistic, attainable goals

Most people want to be rich but did not do much to get it. One must have a plan how to achieve those goals. In order to reach your goal, you must set a reachable one. For example, I have a friend who wanted to be a millionaire before he reaches 35 and he did! He had made plans and he sticks on with it. It was tough but he made his first million before he was 35 and the rest is history.

I learnt from my friend a few things – set attainable goals, work hard to achieve the goal and be persistent. There were many setbacks, of course, but he managed to get what he wanted.

• Fuel your commitment with emotion.

You’ve got to feel something inside of you that drives you to take action. Why do you want it so badly? For example, after my pregnancy, my body ballooned to 70 kg – that’s 20 kg more than my normal weight. Worse, I find myself feeling sluggish and fat. The sexy feeling was non-existent! I know I had to do something. I had to lose weight – plain and simple.

That was my driving force, the desire to be “normal” again. I worked hard to achieve it and I set it as my long term goal. Within a year I managed to shed the extra weight, although not all of it, but it’s working.

If I could do it, so can you. Put emotions in your commitments!

• Put your commitment in writing

Once you’ve decided on your commitment, write it down. Automatically your subconscious mind receives two similar commands, verbal and in writing. It will further strengthen your commitment. I recommend that you write your commitment in big, capital letters and stick it where you can see it everyday – on the fridge’s door, your bathroom’s mirror, your computer screen, etc.

I had my photos, both before and after my pregnancy, near my PC to keep me motivated to stick on with my diet. It did the trick, really!

• Set a realistic time frame

I know that I can’t get my figure back within a few months. So I set up a realistic time frame for it. I did not set out to kill myself by working hard in the gym. I workout whenever I can but on routine basis. I squeeze in a minimum of 30 minutes to work out. I didn’t exactly follow the expert’s advice; I follow my body’s, to be exact. I stop when my body tells me to stop. You just need to be consistent. I’m sure you can apply this on whatever your commitments.

P/S: Success takes time!