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How to stick to your resolutions this year.
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WELCOME BACK…
So hello and welcome back. I should, rather, apologise for my unplanned sabbatical. I, along with the rest of the team have been fairly busy over the festive period. So busy in fact I have been unable to sit down, relax and do what I love best. And that, of course, is to write down strange sentences that seemly pour from my brain in the hope that someone out there will actually be interested in what I have to say. Well you have got this far so as long as you are not my mum - hi mum - thank you, and I will try not to let you down.
Being my first blog of 2017, this week I wanted to address resolutions… New Years Resolutions to be precise. I personally never really take part in these self-imposed rules, if I want to change a certain aspect of my life, I tend to take Nike’s advice and ‘just do it’.
A couple of days ago I was “surfing the web” as my Uncle Stuart calls it and came across a survey on the most popular New Years Resolutions. The most common or popular resolution was depressingly obvious - To do more exercise/lose weight. Followed by achieve a better work/life balance, Cut down on alcohol and quit smoking. All dreadfully unimaginative, if I were to make a resolution I imagine I would go for something like - ‘before the end of 2017 I will have at some point stolen a car, driven it to The White Cliffs of Dover and driven it off the end of the cliff, jumping out of the car at the last minute as if in an action film. Luckily for me, I don’t make resolutions…
But let’s just say I did follow the more popular resolutions. What is the best way to stick to them? This is my guide to sticking to your resolutions in 2017!
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Write down and measure your goals
Set specific goals. Write down what it is you want to achieve. Writing down targets will make it clearer how you can get from A to B. Working backwards and breaking down your journey will inevitably make everything clearer and therefore more achievable. For instance: “I want to lose 12 pounds and get a rock hard abs over the next 2 months by drinking less beer and maybe hitting the gym three to four times per week.” Also, keeping a checklist to monitor your excellent progression will also help motivate yourself and reduce the chance of you flaking on your resolution.
2. Make your goals realistic
Try to make sure that the goals you set are achievable. There is no greater way to ensure you give up on your resolutions than setting an unrealistic goal. The more achievable the goal is the more likely you are to actually achieve it. It’s cheating but there is no better way to ensure you stick to your New Years resolution. For example, if you set yourself a goal of completing every season of Game Of Thrones by the end of January you are way more likely to follow it through than a goal to learn how to sing the national anthem of Japan….. in Arabic.
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Treat yourself
Giving yourself a reward for all of your hard work can be a great way to keep morale high. This doesn’t mean you have a green light to completely undo all of your hard work though! A Cheat meal from your no carb diet doesn’t mean a 10,000 calorie Family Bucket from KFC. Equally, if you are trying to quit smoking, I wouldn’t recommend having a cheeky cigarette as a ‘reward’. When I quit smoking I would often reward myself with a cheeky pint instead! Lungs 1 - Liver 0
5. Buy some cool gear
Buying some special gear to help you continue your resolution can help put you in the correct mental state to challenge yourself. If you want to up your style stakes this year, sign up to a Me My Suit & Tie Subscription. If you want to get fit, buy some new trainers. If your resolution is to get a girlfriend then buy a puppy, a really cute one. Having something new to help achieve your goals can really help to put you in the right frame of mind to start any challenge in the most positive way.
6. Question yourself
The most important factor when changing yourself, or starting something new is you have to 100% want to achieve it. Question yourself why? Why do you want to lose weight? Why do you want to quit smoking? Why do you want to stop waking up in gutters every weekend? Find out the reason and focus on it. Don’t lose sight of why you made the resolution in the first place.
7. Don’t Give UP!
No matter what happens don’t give up. The number one reason why most won’t achieve their New Years Resolution is THEY GIVE UP. I absolutely promise you that without fail, if you keep trying, you will achieve your goals.
So there it is lovely people of the internet world. My top tips if you like to keeping to your resolutions, I hope it helps in some way. If you have any tips you would like to share please let me know and I may plagiarize it for my list of 2018!!
