As I sit here writing this article on January 9th, I realize that many people have already abandoned their New Year's Resolutions. The intentions were good, the goals were set, and yet, the resolutions failed, just as they have the year before and the year before that. What if I told you, it isn't your fault? It's not that your goals were too lofty, or unachievable. What if it really is the fact that you set yourself up for failure?
In a previous article I wrote about not setting resolutions, simply because creating New Year's resolutions are doomed to fail before they start. Many people decide to lose weight and be healthy in the New Year. What a great idea, right? Wrong! Most experts would argue that if you didn't have the goal to lose weight or eat better before the start of the new year then chances are, you aren't going to do it just because the date on the calendar has changed.
Saying doesn't make it so. There are countless people out there with good intentions. There is nothing wrong with that, however, it does put a lot of undo pressure on themselves to make something happen. Many women decide to go on a diet, start exercising and getting more sleep. By mid January the goals start to wane and the diet gets boring, it's a chore to wake up early to walk because you stayed up late watching TV.
Here is a a simple, effective way to make changes in the new year. Wait until February! The pressure is off, it was never considered a resolution and you are only going to do one thing, that's right, one thing. Get a calendar, and write down one thing you want to do for the month. Keep it simple. For instance, "I will take my lunch 3 days a week in the month of February". That's it.
When February is over, then you can write down one thing you want to do in March; again, keep it simple. You don't have to find yourself on the defeating end of your goals, just make them small and manageable. Write them down in small increments and then wait for success. By the time 2014 rolls around you will be a pro at goal setting and just might be doing it in a more healthful way.
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