Who hasn't spent a New Year's Eve resolving to be svelte by spring? Then by mid-February, you've sold your rowing machine and bought a new couch. Don't let that happen this year!
According to Stephen R. Covey, author of the best-selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People we cannot be truly effective in any area of life until we have learned the concept of a `private victory.` Master that, Covey says, and you are ready to move on to public victories, which is where most self-help books begin.
For many people, a New Year's resolution is a highly personal, private goal that, if fulfilled, becomes a `private victory,` to use Covey's terminology. Whether you keep things quiet by accident or by design, you are giving yourself an out: By refusing to let others in on your "secret" resolution, you can fall off track, and no one will be the wiser.
On the other hand, you are more likely to follow through with your resolutions by sharing them with the significant people in your life.
Try our five-step Resolution Reaching plan:
- Step 1: Make your resolutions public. Share them with one or more people so they can help you stay on track. Robert H. Schuller, motivational speaker and author of numerous books, including If It's Going To Be It's Up To Me once said this about aspirations: "The only place where your dream becomes impossible is in your own thinking." So believe in yourself. Let your friends and family in on your dream, and use their support to help you make it a reality.
- Step 2: In your food journal, write your resolution and the steps you will take to keep it. According to Laura Hess, a personal and business coach, having a clearly articulated goal and a plan of action is vital for success.
- Step 3: Keep things simple. Break a big goal into a series of smaller goals. Want to lose 50 pounds? Shoot for losing 10 percent of your body weight first, or set five 10-pound incremental weight-loss goals.
- Step 4: Each time you make a small lifestyle change aimed at reaching your goal - adding 5 minutes to your daily walk, for instance - put a star on your calendar to mark your achievement.
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Step 5: Make small changes. Put a bowl of fruit or vegetables front and centre in the fridge, and hide the cookie jar. Each week, try a new low-fat meal or an exotic fruit or a vegetable you haven't tasted before. Stash away your car keys for a weekend and challenge yourself to walk wherever you need to go.