Successful New Year’s Resolutions

New Year’s resolutions  help us make life changes… or at least we like to think so. Maya Angelou once said, “Nothing will work unless we do”, and that’s the truth. If you’re willing to put in the work this year, here are a few quick tips to help you create the best New Years resolutions and achieve them.

1. Picking a few habits that sound realistic & attainable.
2. Write your goals down using specific and measurable language. Keep copies of your goals in places you can see them such as your desk, nightstand, on your phone and in the car. The more you are reminded of your resolutions the easier it will be to make smarter choices.
3. Pick a start date and stick to it. Write it in to your calendar. and make it part of your daily routine — just like you would with important meetings.
4. Regularly assess your progress. This is really important for achieving your goals. Why are you going to keep engaging in a behavior if it is not working? For example, if your trying to lose weight, take before and after photos or measurements so you know that the workouts you are completing are actually effective in helping you attain your desired weight loss. After a month and a follow-up assessment, you might realize that your workouts are not intense enough or  that maybe you need to  further adjust your diet as well.
5. Be prepared. It is important that you understand the cause of the behavior/’s you are trying to change with your New Year’s resolutions as well as to understand your psychological attachment to these behaviors.   This is critical so you will be able to actually put a stop  to the behaviors and fill the resulting void with a healthier alternative.
6. Reward the successes you’ve achieved through hard work. Prepare for your resolution by figuring out what your rewards will be for achieving either parts to your resolution and/or the entire resolution. Make sure this rewards are meaningful to you.