The Sunday Mail
Chelsea Moyo
IT is exactly 14 days into 2018 and hopefully your New Year’s resolutions are still on track.
It has become the norm that at the beginning of each year, people set resolutions. These resolutions range from living healthier lifestyles by losing weight, quitting alcohol and tobacco, to saving money and even making investments.
However, a few weeks into the year these resolutions fade and are long forgotten by the time December comes around. The term resolutions has become a mere introduction to mark a new year. Let 2018 be different and stick to these resolutions. So how do you make your New Year’s resolutions stick?
The Sunday Mail Society, with the help of life coach and motivational speaker Charles Mungoshi Jnr, gives you some tips to help make this year’s goals a lifestyle and not a passing phase.
Make it a target
Most people have a tendency of making resolutions and giving up a few weeks after. A resolution is seen as just a common promise, soon to be broken or forgotten. However, transforming the resolutions into targets is quite clever because a target is something that one fights to get despite the hurdles. Targets require progress and that is exactly what is needed to stick to a goal.
Keep it simple
The initial mistake that most people make is to aim for an overhaul of their lifestyle and this is a recipe for disappointment. Change generally takes time and thus it becomes absurd to set goals that are out of reach. For example, it is not realistic to set a resolution to be the richest man in the world by the end of the year and yet one is currently a snacks vendor. Instead of setting a goal to stop smoking one can begin with baby steps such as smoking less. The moment a resolution set is too extreme, it is doomed to fail since the human body and mind take time to adjust to a new lifestyle. Change should be gradual and not abrupt.
Be specific
When setting targets for the year, one has to make sure they are specific. Setting a precise goal enables one to keep track of the success being made. It clarifies the target and helps to make a plan. If the resolution is to buy a car, then write down the car you want. State a colour and the specific make of the car. People usually make resolutions such as losing weight but do not specify how many kilogrammes they plan to shed. It becomes impossible to see progress and one can just give up at any moment.
Create a plan
Draw up a chart in a diary of how to reach the target. If the target is to save a thousand dollars by the end of the year, then one has to create a budget setting aside a certain figure every month and utilising the funds they have. For those planning to join a gym, it is important to identify the gym to join, research on it and draw up days and the time to be spent hitting the gym.
Seek accountability
One of the crucial steps to stick to a goal is having accountability partners. These are basically people who know about your set target and are there to keep you motivated and also to check on your progress. It is easy to relax when no one is constantly nagging you to keep moving forward. Accountability partners can be family, friends or even professionals in the area of interest. In this day of technology, some phone applications can be used for accountability though if abused one can end up being a slave of the application and losing focus of the goal.
Celebrate small success
People tend to be harder on themselves than they are with other people. They tend to beat themselves up for failing to reach a target while failing to recognise the small successes along the way. Celebrating successes, however small, is important for greater success. Acknowledge when you had a really great day or even a really great moment, an hour. Figure out ways to be happy and joyful and congratulatory for when you are doing it right. Set milestones along the way and reward yourself for the smallest of successes. This motivates one to keep moving as they look forward to a milestone reward.
Leaping over hurdles
Failing to follow through on resolutions usually happens when one operates under an “all or nothing” mindset. If you find yourself experiencing a resolution relapse, do not allow that to become an excuse to give up. Instead, expand your definition of success as forward progress, rather than perfection. When you feel like you are beginning to fail at your resolution, remind yourself that you do not need to be perfect or perfectly extraordinary, just a better version of you. We often do not experience change without first experiencing setbacks in the process. Struggling along the way does not mean your resolutions are dead. They are just waiting to be revived. So when you have a day when you fall down on the diet, instead of telling yourself that you are weak or bad, tell yourself that you had a bad day and that tomorrow’s a new day to start over. It is important to be compassionate with yourself, acknowledge your slips, and move on.
It is easy to feel discouraged than encouraged. Hence instead of allowing negativity to rule your mindset, it is crucial to keep a positive atmosphere and ignore discouraging views.
Believe in yourself
Lastly, but very crucial, believe in yourself. When talking about goals, one cannot run away from faith. It is only faith that solidifies beliefs. If one believes in leading a healthy lifestyle then they push harder to cut down on carbohydrates and bad eating habits. It becomes a fallacy when one writes a goal to buy a car but doubt their abilities and capabilities from the beginning of the year. Without a strong boost of self-confidence, these set goals indeed become empty promises. Thus, believe in yourself this 2018 and make those resolutions achievable targets.
