How to keep your New Year's Resolutions
Found this in a newsletter that was mailed to me and thought it was worth sharing!
"New Year's Resolution?
It's a tradition for people to make New Years Resolutions each year. However, did you know that most all people have abandoned their resolutions by the third week in January?
These are the top 5 resolutions in the United States:
1. Lose Weight
2. Quit Smoking
3. Get organized
4. Make more money / save more money
5. Spend more quality time with family / find a mate
How do we make them stick? Instead of making a bunch of resolutions that you know are just good intentions and will be dropped in just a few weeks, find one and focus on it daily. Keeping your resolution is not about willpower, it*s about organization.
Take these 3 steps and keep your resolution:
1. Get organized! Start a journal or open a Word document on the computer. Write your goal big and bold on the cover to keep you focused! Then log your progress every day. It doesn*t matter if you write one word or a whole page full; this helps you focus on the process. Have a set back? Just look back at how far you've come, realize that everyone screw*s up and start all over again!
2. Set short term goals. Do you remember the Bill Murray comedy, *What About Bob?* (Really funny movie, rent it!!!) He played Dr. Marvin, a phycotherapist treating a recluse with every paranoia under the sun. Dr. Marvin*s book, *Baby Steps!* helped the patient to step out of his front door and stalk the Dr. and his family on their vacation. Just like Dr. Marvin says, take baby steps! Break your goal into small bite-sized pieces. If you goal is just a few steps away, it's easier to stay motivated that if it was miles away. Want to lose weight? Instead of setting you sights on 50 pounds, break your chunk into smaller chunks! Set your sights on 5 or 10 pounds at a time. When you reach your short term goal...
3. Reward yourself! When you reach a set point on your journey, treat yourself. 1 week without a cigarette? 10 pounds gone? What does your journal say your reward will be? A trip to the casino? A new pair of shoes? Set your rewards in advance and work toward that goal. But don*t cheat and reward yourself before you reach your short term goal. You won*t stick to the plan and you*re only denying yourself the happiness you will find in achieving your short term goal and getting your reward! "
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