Keys to Successful Resolutions in 2020

We are a full month into the new year, and the new decade. Did you adopt the “New Year, New Me” philosophy? 

Unfortunately, according to research, most New Year resolutions will have failed by the second weekend of February. Discouraging? Yes, but it doesn’t have to be! If you resolved to lose 20 pounds in 2020, and now have 25 to go, keep reading! In this article, we will outline some key factors that help determine success in your resolutions.

Common Pitfalls

Let’s face it, we want our resolutions to be BIG. These are major goals that require major changes! Many of us look externally for motivations and methods – the latest diet trend or the newest grueling workout routines that come recommended by the guy in accounting who happens to be RIPPED.

Pitfall

But here is the problem, placing your hopes for success on an external influence is a strong predictor of failure. So guess what will happen to the ‘new you’ when you find that the ‘eat and train like me to look like me’ promise is unsustainable for your life? 

The truth is, it is a new year but you are still the same you! You are still tired, you are busy and get stressed, and you are still rushing around to meet all of your responsibilities and commitments. Combine that with a strict diet or an exercise regimen that starts at 5 AM and you are already facing serious challenges to success.

So why bother? Actually, you really should bother. Research shows that individuals who only express a desire to change or improve their health succeed in about 4 percent of cases, while those with the desire AND who make resolutions have a success rate over 10 times greater! (And, of course, you don’t have to make resolutions on January 1 – you still have time to start now!)

So, let’s get started and find your success:

Keys to Success

Contemplation Stage

Contemplate what goals you want to achieve and the changes you want to make. A successful resolution requires some planning and commitment to specific objectives.

Build Confidence – establish genuine confidence that you can achieve your resolution. This isn’t general self-confidence, rather it is a specific conviction that you can achieve this specific goal. Take the time to think through your goals, with the following two points in mind:

  1. Make it Realistic and Attainable – Grandiose goals beget resignation. Yes, it would be amazing to start going to the gym 7 days per week or cutting out all sugar and processed foods after attending all of the Holiday gatherings. But overshooting a goal can have de-motivating effects if it is too much. Instead of 7 days, maybe 3? Instead of losing 50 pounds, perhaps start with 10. We can always resolve to do more later.
  2. Make it Measurable – Vague goals beget vague resolutions. You want specific, measurable goals that allow you to track your progress. And you want to use a method to easily record and review your progress. 

Action Stage

Motivation, not Inspiration – Remember at the beginning of the article where we talked about external factors? They might be inspiring, but inspiration is short-lived. It’s typically about emulating other people and while it will push us for a week or two, inspiration begins to extinguish quite quickly. Inspiration may get us started, but it never keeps us going. That is where motivation works.

Motivation doesn’t come in a bottle. Motivation is, scientifically speaking, a series of small behaviors. And here’s some ways to enhance the motivation:

  1. Track your progress by recording or charting with easy access multiple times per day.
  2. Reward your successes, reinforce yourself for each step with a healthy treat or a compliment, perhaps even create a reward contract with a loved one.
  3. Arrange your environment to help rather than hinder you, limit exposure to any high-risk situations, create reminders. 

Motivations are specific behaviors we build into our day. We need these motivators multiple times per day to keep the brain stimulated and focused in our ever-changing daily environments.

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Don’t Do It Alone

Enlist Support – The buddy system works. Buddies can be co-workers, family members, friends, fellow resolvers. They don’t even have to share the same resolution. It just has to be someone who is on your side and has your back. For a couple of weeks, people can persevere through even the more difficult environments lacking social support. But once you get into January, the willpower begins to slip and that’s when we start counting on other people to remind us, to encourage us and to keep us on track.

Get Professionals Involved – You’ve tried it on your own and perhaps experienced, like most people, partial success. But now, it might be time to take it up a step or two by getting some professionals involved. And when you make the commitment of time and money, such as appointments with a healthcare provider, a nutritionist, or a personal trainer, people get more serious. These professionals can also be a great motivator to keep you on track.

A Slip is not a Fall – Most successful resolvers slip in January. But successful resolvers learn that a slip, or a momentary lapse in a resolution, need not be a fall. They pick themselves up and recommit themselves to their resolution. In research on successful resolutions, 71 percent of successful people said their first slip actually strengthened their efforts and resolve. Early slips may be a sign that you just need to refine your action plan, get back up and do something. Think of resolutions as marathons, not a sprint. We need to prepare for the long haul, because it is a changed lifestyle that we are really going for, the “New You!”