It’s 2019 ... Welcome to the “New You”!

Happy 2019! If you are like a great many people in the world; it is very likely that on January 1, you made a resolution (or more). And if you are like most people who made that resolution (or resolutions) by February 1, you will have already blown them or totally forgotten about them altogether.

Let this be the year your resolution sticks. Here’s how.

So if you have made a New Year’s resolution ... Congratulations! Research says you’re 10 times more likely to successfully alter a behavior than you would if you didn’t make a start-of-the-year vow. And maybe that’s why some 45 percent of us ring in the New Year with a resolution.

But will you keep it? According to statistics, almost half will give up on their goals within six months. Avoid being one of them. No matter what you’ve vowed—to lose weight? get fit? save money?—these four tips will help you achieve your goal.

Be Specific

Vague goals won’t work. “You’ve got to develop a specific action plan for change,” says John Norcross, Ph.D., coauthor of Changeology: 5 Steps to Realizing Your Goals and Resolutions. Ideally you should map out your strategy before New Year’s arrives, but it is not too late to put your strategy together now!

If you want to lose weight, target a precise number of pounds to shed, then set concrete mini-goals and the dates on which you aim to accomplish each of them. Want to save money? Determine the amount you will put aside each month and identify explicit changes in behavior you’ll make to get there, whether that means skipping your afternoon latte or carpooling to work to save on fuel costs.

Whatever it is, the more specific you can be, the easier it will be to track the results and stay the course.

Make Your Goal Public

Be sure to share your decision to change with friends and family who can offer support when you’re wavering and encouragement when you’re doing well at sticking to your resolution. “Public commitments are generally more successful than private decisions,” says Norcross.

Within the circle of friends and family be sure to identify one or two who you ask to hold you accountable for your goals. Sometimes we all need a little kick in the pants to keep on going and having someone there definitely helps!

Substitute Good Behaviors for “Bad”

Don’t rely on willpower alone to help you change, advises Norcross. That approach won’t work. Instead, build in a healthy behavior that’s incompatible with the one you want to change. So, if eating your usual mid-afternoon treat runs contrary to your goal of dropping a few pounds, put together a small like-minded group and commit to taking a quick, brisk walk at your normal snack time. Each time you put the brakes on “bad” behavior, you’ll increase your confidence in your ability to make the change. This goes back to that accountability partner above.

Track Your Progress

Record or chart your changed behavior. “Research indicates that such ‘self-monitoring’ increases the probability of keeping your resolution,” says Norcross. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy; just a spreadsheet or some kind of chart works so you can visually see progress.

Over the next few weeks, I will share some specific tips on making plans to save money, lose weight, reduce stress, drink less, and a few others that are on my mind.

It’s 2019 ... Welcome to the “New You”!

Your Passion ... Your Goals ... YOUR LIFE!?

? 2019 whittleton consulting