Lifetime Moms

Loose weight, eat healthy, make more money, save money, take a vacation, cook more, eat less… We all make them, but how many people actually stick to their New Year’s Resolutions?

Last year I vowed to create "a life resolution" instead of a "New Year’s resolution" and even with the covert name change I still wasn’t able to stick to my goals. I vowed to take care of myself, eat better, workout and relax every once in awhile. I’m not really eating that much better, I still haven’t been able to stick to a workout schedule and relaxing, what’s that?

Did you know that on average only a quarter of the population will achieve their New Year resolutions in 2010? Why such a small number? People tend to dwell on the "bad things" that would happen if they do not achieve their goals. They rely on willpower and fantasize about becoming successful. According to Professor Wiseman of University of Hertfordshire this type of thinking "simply doesn’t work." He says that if you, "break your goals into small steps, rewarding yourself when each stage is passed, you are more likely to succeed."

Looking back at resolutions past, I did the same thing, my goals were backed by "willpower," and they weren’t broken down into steps and were often over generalized. This year I’m going to follow Professor Wiseman’s tips and set small achievable goals.

Prof. Wiseman offers 10 secrets to making successful New Years resolutions:

1. Make only one resolution; your chances of success are greater when you channel energy into changing just one aspect of your behavior.
2. Don’t wait until New Year’s Eve to think about your resolution and instead devote some time a few days before to reflect upon what you really want to achieve.
3. Avoid previous resolutions, deciding to re-visit a past resolution sets you up for frustration and disappoint.
4. Don’t run with the crowd and go with the usual resolutions. Instead think about what you really want out of life.
5. Break your goal into a series of steps, focusing on creating sub-goals that are concrete, measurable, and time-based.
6. Tell your friends and family about your goals, thus increasing the fear of failure and eliciting support.
7. Regularly remind yourself of the benefits associated with achieving your goals by creating a checklist of how life would be better once you obtain your aim.
8. Give yourself a small reward whenever you achieve a sub-goal, thus maintaining motivation and a sense of progress.
9. Make your plans and progress concrete by keeping a hand-written journal, completing a computer spreadsheet or covering a notice cork board with graphs and pictures.
10. Expect to revert to your old habits from time to time. Treat any failure as a temporary set-back rather than a reason to give up altogether.

Source: Key to keeping New Year resolutions revealed by psychologist @ telegraph.co.uk.
Photo Credit: Optical illusion