Happy New Year – 2009 Resolutions Tips

I’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Can you believe it? 2008 has come and gone. It seems like only yesterday that we were celebrating the beginning of 2008. Doesn’t time just fly by so quickly?

It was pretty interesting year last year. With many changes happening around the world, it became a little more difficult for us to do the things we would like to do because of the economy scare, but here’s to hoping that this year will be a much better year.

With every new year comes resolutions. Resolutions are defined in the dictionary as “a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.” That is something most of us tend to aspire to do. But the question is do we really follow through with those aspirations?

Think a few moments about the resolutions that you made for last year. Did you accomplish those? Did you follow through and do them? Maybe some did and maybe some didn’t. Maybe we bought a gym membership and never went, or maybe we quit smoking for a few weeks only to take it up again a few days later.

It is estimated that a majority of those who make resolutions never follow through with them. Here are a few tips that will help you follow through with your new years resolutions so that your 2009 will be an accomplished one.

• Make your Resolutions obtainable – One of the biggest mistakes that people make when writing their resolutions is that they make their resolutions too difficult. While it is both noble and challenging to attempt lofty goals, it also improves your chances that you will fail. Keep it simple and if you meet that resolution, take it to the next level.
• Be Specific – Another one of the most common mistakes is that we are too vague in what we want. Be specific! Instead of one ambiguous task, state exactly what you want to do. For instance don’t just write down that you want to lose weight in 2009. Instead state that you would like to lose 10 pounds by March 31st. This will help you stay focused and it is more precise about what you want to do.
• Make a plan – Once you have written your specific resolutions you need to come up with a plan of action. You can’t just write it down an expect that it will get done on its own because it won’t. Make a plan of action and follow through with it. Your resolution of losing 10 pounds by March 31st should now look like this: I need to lose 3 pounds by Jan 31st, 3 pounds by February 28th and 4 pounds by March 31st. That adds up to 10 pounds. Now come up with the diet plan that will help you lose that 1 pound a week. I will exercise on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I will substitute soda for water. By making those small little plans of action you will make your resolutions easier to do.
• Give yourself an incentive – There are 365 days in the year and not all of them will be a piece of cake. You will have your trying times and tiring times. That is just the way life is, so the important part of keeping your resolutions is that you reward yourself for following through. Give yourself some type of incentive so that you can stay focused and stay the course. By giving yourself these incentives you are more likely to accomplish your resolutions than not.
• Tell your friends – Maybe they can help you. True friends usually do, in the form of support or motivation. You can tell them that you want to lose weight, and that if they see you going against what you are supposed to be doing, for instance binge eating or snagging that extra muffin when your diet specifically says no, they can be there for you and tell you to stay true to your diet. This is just an added benefit so that you can keep working on your resolutions.
• Don’t give up – Some resolutions can be very hard to stick with, but keep trying and don’t give up because you can do it. Things change all the time in our lives so it would not be wrong to re-evaluate our resolutions. If we know we can’t do it after trying our hardest maybe we made our resolutions too difficult. Try something smaller first to work up to a bigger task.

I would be interested in hearing about your resolutions. Please feel free to comment and let me know what your resolution for the 2009 year will be.

Keep it Clean!
Genevieve

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tags: 2009 new years resolutions, 2009 resolution, new years resolutions, resolutions