Instead of committing to eating well, exercising, and drinking water, focus your attention on one of the three.
Instead of resolving to eat better, commit to eating an extra serving of fruit and vegetables each day. Don’t pick a vague resolution like “make new friends. ” Instead, pick something like “make at least 2 new friends this year at my child’s school. ” Try to write your resolution in clear writing, with specific goals in mind and a plan of action. If possible, create a deadline so you can measure your progress. [5] X Expert Source Susan Pazak, PhDLicensed Clinical Psychologist & Professional Life Coach Expert Interview. 22 April 2022.
Think about your favorite life experiences. What do they have in common, and how can you create more of them? For example, if you adore animals, consider making a resolution that involves volunteering at an animal shelter or a vet clinic.
Perhaps you value giving. Pick a resolution that incorporates this value, such as donating a certain amount of money to your favorite charity. Ask yourself what you’d like to contribute to the world and how you can strengthen the important relationships in your life.
If you want to be a more fearless person, resolve to participate in an activity that scares you. For example, if you’re scared of responsibility, you might take a leadership position in a club or organization.
Don’t resolve to lose weight so your partner will like you more. If you decide to lose weight, it should be so you feel better. Before committing to a New Year’s resolution, ask yourself, “Why do I want to do this?”
Instead of making a resolution to cut out all junk food from your diet, you might decide to limit yourself to several junk food items per week. Rather than resolving to call your family every day, make a commitment to call them two times per week. Remember to be honest with yourself about what’s realistic. Oftentimes we make the goals too difficult or unattainable, so we get into what is called “all or nothing” thinking and give up. Try to avoid this pitfall. [10] X Expert Source Susan Pazak, PhDLicensed Clinical Psychologist & Professional Life Coach Expert Interview. 22 April 2022.
Imagine you want to finish the novel you’ve been working on by the end of the year. A realistic subgoal would be to write ten new pages each week. Assess your progress every week. If there’s progress, continue what you’re doing. If no action was taken in the week, look inwards and ask yourself why that happened. [12] X Expert Source Susan Pazak, PhDLicensed Clinical Psychologist & Professional Life Coach Expert Interview. 22 April 2022.
For example, if your resolution is to head to the gym everyday after work, consider if you’ll really want to drag a gym bag to the office each morning.
