Don’t turn your New Year’s Resolution into a Two Week Resolution by making extreme changes all at once. Instead of transforming your entire lifestyle in only a few days, set up a plan that requires you to build and grow throughout the year. You have 365 days, so pace yourself!
1. Restrictions Make You Rebellious
A lot of resolutions focus on what you WON’T be doing or eating as of January 1st. However, forbidding yourself from everything you love is a recipe for disaster. We are all human, which means we need to be able to enjoy a cheat meal or a night out every once in a while. If you’re going to resolve to eat healthy in 2014, then try keeping a food journal instead of restricting yourself to certain foods.
2. Avoid the “All or Nothing” Approach
While some people embrace the “go hard or go home” lifestyle, I wouldn’t recommend using it for a New Year’s resolution. Why? Because lifestyle changes are not easy to make, and they won’t always go according to plan. If you set impossible goals for yourself, then you’re more likely to slip up and fall completely off course. I recommend making small, sustainable changes one at a time to avoid any backward progress.
3. Make it Personal
I want you to sit down and think for a second. What’s caused you the most stress or unhappiness this year? Was it an unhealthy relationship, an aspect of your personality, or the fact that you’ve gained some unwanted pounds? Whatever it is, that’s what you should focus on for 2014. Your resolution doesn’t need to be cookie cutter, or even explainable to others. It just needs to be something that will impact the quality of your life.
4. Write it Down & Hang it Up
It’s easy to forget about the bigger picture amongst the craziness of your daily chores and activities. This is why you need to create some sort of “Resolution Reminder.” If your goal is to have a six-pack by summer, then post a picture of someone with rock-solid abs on the mirror in your room. It’s amazing how powerful a subtle reminder can be!
