Do your New Year Resolutions fizzle out by the end of January? According to a study by psychologist Richard Wiseman from the University of Bristol, 88% of those who set New Year resolutions fail to achieve them. Here’s how to achieve your goals to improve health and happiness.
- Ask yourself, what’s important this year. Making a list of goals for the New Year is the most important task. Don’t generalize your goals. Be specific. Want to save money? Chalk out a financial plan.
- Break your goal into a series of steps, focusing on creating sub-goals that are concrete, measurable, and time-based.
- Make small changes with the ‘5-minute rule’. If you have a sedentary lifestyles, start by doing jumping jacks for 5 minutes every day. Stressed? Meditate for 5 minutes every morning.
- If you want happier relationships, initiate change. Tell people in your life that they matter. Send them text messages, throw get-togethers. Indulge in random acts of kindness, you will feel happier.
- Avoid previous resolutions; deciding to revisit a past resolution sets you up for frustration and disappointment.
- Give the New Year a theme-mindfulness, nourishment, joy, walking, for instance.
- Expect to revert to your old habits from time to time. Treat any failures as a temporary setback rather than a reason to give up altogether.
- Self-coach your plans. Focus on your goals, applaud yourself for keeping to them. Visualize success and celebrate your smallest victory. Remember, habit-changing is about taking baby steps, which help change your behavior.
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