New Year's Resolutions You Can Actually Keep

If you're like most people, you probably set New Year's resolutions each year. You probably also fail to keep them. The problem with most New Year's resolutions is that they're too broad and results-oriented. The key to being successful at keeping your New Year's resolutions is to set smaller goals that will help you achieve the results you want.

Losing Weight

"Losing weight" is a very broad and inspecific New Year's resolution. However, you can achieve this resolution if you break it up into smaller, more specific goals. For example, set some New Year's resolutions to eat more fruits and vegetables, to cut back on fat and sugar and to exercise at least 30 minutes every day. Make a resolution to use the stairs instead of the elevator, to park farther away from the office and the grocery store and to do more yard work. You could also resolve to purchase special weight loss foods or consult a weight loss expert. Also make a resolution to weigh yourself and reevaluate your goals every month.

Quitting Smoking

Many people fail to quit smoking, regardless of when they set this goal for themselves. There's nothing magical about setting this goal as a New Year's resolution, either. Instead of setting this lofty goal for yourself, resolve to find out what tools and resources you need to quit smoking. Learn about nicotine gum, patches, programs to quit smoking, books about quitting smoking and people who can help you quit. Also make a New Year's resolution to get the social support you need to quit smoking. You could resolve to visit your doctor. You could also set a goal to join a support group of people who are also trying to quit so that you can talk about the pitfalls and hurdles of quitting. You could resolve to keep a quit smoking journal. As with other New Year's resolutions, check in with yourself each month or so to see how you're progressing on your goals.

Getting Your Finances in Order

Making more money, getting a new job, saving more money and getting out of debt rank high on the list of New Year's resolutions that people make each year. These broad, nebulous goals can be easily broken down into smaller goals that are easier to meet. For example, instead of "making more money," you could resolve to work an hour of overtime per week, get a part time job or do a little freelance work on the side. Instead of "getting a new job," you could make a New Year's resolution to create a new resume and put in three applications to potential employers each month. You could also make a resolution to do something that will help you to achieve your goal over the long term, such as taking night classes at a local college. Instead of setting a goal to "save more money," you could make smaller New Year's resolutions to eat out at restaurants less often and to watch movies at home rather than at the theater. Instead of "getting out of debt," you could create a New Year's resolution to send extra money, such as $100 a month, to your creditors each month.

Drinking Less Alcohol

Creating a New Year's resolution to drink less is tricky. If you're an alcoholic, it's unlikely you'll be able to keep this resolution on your own. If you're drinking several alcoholic drinks every day and you can't stop, seek professional help as soon as possible. Even if your drinking isn't out of control, you're likely to fail if you don't set a specific goal. Decide exactly how many drinks you're willing to allow yourself. Then set a goal to drink that many alcoholic beverages each day, and no more. According to WebMD, if you're a woman, you should have no more than 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor per day. If you're a man, you should drink no more than twice this amount. Set a firm goal to drink no more than this amount each day. If necessary, measure the alcoholic beverages you drink and create a drinking journal to record your progress.

For additional help with your New Year's resolutions, download some of these free goal setting worksheets from WorksheetPlace.com.

Sources:

"Alcohol Effects on Blood Pressure: Pros and Cons." WebMD.com