Choosing Achievable Resolutions This Year
By Brandi Swieter
With the new year at hand, it's important to be aware of just what the right resolutions are to make. Yes, everyone has to set their own resolutions for themselves, but many people choose truly unobtainable choices that they're never likely to accomplish. Choosing achievable resolutions should be the goal. There's ways to make the selections more likely to be accomplished.
Set a Small Goal
Because people have the entire year to reach their goal, they often believe they should set one that's rather large. Losing 100 pounds, for example, might be a consideration. However, goals like these rarely ever get completed. It starts out too big and people lose their desire and dedication quickly. When a few months have passed by without making much stride toward completing it, people often choose to give up altogether. Setting a small goal to begin with means it's much more likely to be accomplished. Once that goal is reached the person can choose to make another one if they desire. A goal to lose a few pounds would be the better option in a case like this.
Set Specific Goals
Just as people can set objectives that are too large, they can also set ones that are too vague. Saying you want to quit smoking is too general. You have no real deadline or focus in your mind. Saying you want to cut back to two packs a week to start with would be the better option. After that goal is reached, lowering it to one a week would be the next step. Then three-quarters of a pack, then half, etc.
Write Your Goals Down
Too many people make the mistake of saying their goals out loud without ever writing them down. By the next day they may have forgotten exactly what they said they wanted to do. Writing goals down and keeping track of them makes them much more likely to be achieved. It also helps to put the goals in a place where they can be seen daily, such as your mirror.
Make a Plan
You'll never follow through with your resolutions if you don't have a plan in place. If you decide you want to save a certain amount of money, then creating a budget needs to be the first step. You'll never save if you have no idea how to start. Making a budget and seeing where you tend to spend the most can help you decide which areas you can cut costs to reach your goal of saving in the new year.
New Year's resolutions should be small, specific, and achievable. Set it to something you truly want to accomplish and don't just copy what a friend of yours decides. If you don't want to give up chocolate, don't. Perhaps just make the goal of eating only 2 ounces of dark chocolate per day instead of a whole bar. Health should always be the focus.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Gold River, Calif.