Keeping the Resolution

With the new year visible on the horizon, many people will want to take part in the age-old tradition of making New Year's Resolutions. However, as much of a tradition as it is to make resolutions is to break those same said resolutions. Here are a couple of ways to help you keep your resolutions in 2010.

Don't Make Too Many Resolutions--it is easy to get overwhelmed with the prospect of a new year and starting things anew however if you make ten separate goals, chances are you are going to break most if not all of them just from the sheer reality of being overwhelmed. It's not a race to see who can make the most improvements it's a personal promise to yourself to better your self in the long run. Remember; keeping one resolution is much better than making nine but breaking six.

Allow for Flexibility--unless you are one of those people who actually work better on a deadline, don't give yourself one. Saying you want to lose the baby fat by bikini season is all well and good but you'll feel like a failure if because of the curve balls life can throw you don't succeed. It's called a "new year's" resolution no a "fulfill in six months" resolution. You have the whole year to do whatever it is you want to do.

Make Fun Ones--if you make all serious resolutions you may not make them because they're (for lack of a better word) boring. Make fun goals like you will have one pampering day for yourself every month. Or that you will allow yourself to read one fun book a month (examples are chick lit or fluffy romance novels) just to take a break from reality for awhile. Resolutions are about bettering yourself and you'll find that relaxing tasks such as those will help you keep from being too stressed.

Make Resolutions That are the Best for You--everyone likes to have the staple resolution of losing weight or quitting smoking. However you have to make goals that are best for you that you know you have the discipline to keep up. It' great to want to lose weight and especially to want to stop smoking. But maybe you would do better to start small and say stop smoking as much, and along the lines of that.

Keep Some Resolutions Quiet--if you do resolve to quit smoking you may want to keep it to yourself lest friends and family who may mean well keep bothering you with how is your goal going? Making a new resolution with your life is hard enough without having to deal with well-meaning (and sometimes snide) remarks on how it is going. So if you think your resolution will work better for you if you keep them quiet go for it. However, remember....

Group Resolutions Can be Fun Too--sometimes making a goal with someone else is a good thing because you have someone who is going through all the highs and lows with you and you also have someone who is there to keep your morale up when it is low and vice versa. Sometimes when you make a resolution with a friend, such as exercising more, you have a workout buddy to go to the gym with you and talk to as you're walking, jogging, or even joggling if you want to.

Use a Different Word--one of my friend last year made "goals" instead of "resolutions". She is obviously one of those people who work better on a deadline. Her idea was that the word "resolution" sounded so final that it might encourage people to not do what they said they would while "goals" has a more positive spin to it. Personally I think it's the same thing but with just a word trick to get your mind to think it isn't but that works for some people. So if "resolution" is too final say "goal" or even that you give yourself a "deadline" to fulfill whatever it is you want to do. No matter what word you use you're still trying to better yourself in the long run.

Make Realistic Resolutions--we live in a world of quick fixes but you have to make realistic resolutions and healthy ones. If for example you are 280 lbs, resolving to lose 100 is not only ridiculous but unhealthy. Say 40 or something along those lines. Same thing if you're a smoker; if you're a three pack a day smoker cutting out completely might but a little hard so try at first going down to a pack and a half. That way you're doing healthy things for your body in healthy ways by easing into it instead of as a shock to the whole system.

Keep Track--sometimes keeping track of how your goal is going along will help. I know it sounds very Bridget Jones but logging how many cigarettes you've had when you're trying to quit. Same with keeping a log if you're trying to lose weight. However, log as much as you need to that is appropriate to your goal. What I mean is log cigarettes by day. Log weight loss by week otherwise you'll drive yourself crazy.

Stay Positive--it's hard when you have had a bad day so you end up smoking or drinking more than planned or when you get to that stalemate in losing weight where you can't seem to lose anymore. Stay positive and remember that Rome wasn't built in a day; these things take time. You will have those hard days where you smoke five cigarettes instead of three but instead of beating yourself off or chucking the whole thing just remember that tomorrow is a new day!!

Have a Merry Christmas and a fabulous New Year's and good luck with your resolutions!!