It’s the end of another year and this is the time when we all look back at our achievements for 2010 and begin to think of new year resolutions for 2011. Promises to yourself seem to be the hardest ones to keep because you are the only one who suffers the consequences and no one else will be disappointed, angry of even care if you don’t see them through. Since promises to ourselves are the most important to keep I wanted to share what I’m doing to see my resolutions through till the end of 2011.
Our brains can retain a lot of information, but the problem is we are always processing new information. New thoughts or ideas can’t come to us if we are too busy trying to remember old information, so writing down what we want for the new year is important if you hope to see any success. It’s also the first real and concrete step towards getting what it is you really want.
When planning my year I began by typing everything that came to my mind as it came to me even though it probably wouldn’t make sense to anyone else. Then I organized my list of promises and challenges of everything I wanted and how I was going to get them. Some of the things I want, I don’t necessarily know exactly how to get just yet, but it wont stop me from making those more ambitious goals because I can make the learning process part of the resolution. It’s also important to dissect what you want down to the core, so when writing everything, describe why exactly you want to achieve a particular goal. Knowing why, also serves as motivation when working towards something.
Just because it’s the beginning of a new year, it’s likely you won’t drastically change any habits you do day in and day out. Everyone has goals we are always working towards, it’s just that most of us use this time of year to measure our progress and tell ourselves that we will get serious about achieving what we want. So if you already have goals you are working towards, simply start measuring your progress at the end of every month as opposed to simply at the end of the year. Let the end of every month serve as a reminder of why you are working towards a goal. Monitoring your progress more frequently helps you stick to the challenges you set for yourself and allows you to remain flexible if you need to reevaluate the direction and progress you are making. You can of course measure your progress much more frequently if necessary and if you’re disciplined enough to do so.
Besides monitoring the progress towards my goals I have recently picked up meditating. There are so many distractions throughout the day and turning off all my electronics and setting time to clear my mind and focus on nothing but myself and what is important to me is a very pleasant and peaceful few minutes in a busy day. When I meditate, I take about five minutes to clear my mind completely and then take a few minutes to focus on what my life would be like in a perfect world with everything I want. It’s not only fun to fantasize about your perfect life in a perfect world, but it actually helps to make it a reality, because your subconscious mind will constantly be thinking of ways to make it a reality.
Ultimately everyone is different and has different ways of staying committed to the promises they make to themselves. A couple other tips to stay committed is to celebrate the victories and reward yourself when you see real progress or when you achieve certain milestones. Another tip is to tell other people your resolution. You are less likely to give up on something if you tell family and friends your plans, because they will support you and expect you to follow through on what you told them you are capable of doing.
In reality you are destined to succeed or fail at the very beginning when you actually make the decision to pursue any goal. Depending on how serious you are when you actually make the decision determines whether or not you will be successful. It takes time to put yourself in the right frame of mind to make a decision and actually stick to it. Let me know below how your 2010 turned out and what your doing to help stick to your resolutions.
1 thought on “How to Keep Your New Year Resolutions”
I really should get back to meditating. I’ve been praying a lot (for sanity mostly… XD) But it’s just not the same.