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 Q
Every year I write New Year's Resolutions and never stick to them.
Do you have any tips on how I can change my life this year without giving
up on myself after only a couple days?
A
Whether it is a New Year or not, we all struggle to set goals for
ourselves and stick to them.
On any day of the year you can wake up and decide to change your life, so
if you didn't make any New Year's resolutions but you want to change
something about yourself or your life, you can start today. If you
made resolutions that were supposed to begin on Jan 1 and you still
haven't successfully started a plan, then start over today. There
are a few things you want to keep in mind when setting goals for
yourself. When you are ready to seriously think about making some
changes, grab some paper and a pen and use the following tips to create an
"action plan":
Write
down what you want. Think
about what areas of your life that you would like to change and then
decide what specifically you would like to change. Once you've taken
sufficient time to think of some goals, then you should make a list of your specific goals. You should keep your
list of goals some place where you can easily review them often.
You can start a journal of your progress or use a notebook to write
down important information and to keep track of your progress.
Keep
it real! Don't
set yourself up for failure by biting off more than you can chew.
You don't want to set totally unrealistic goals for yourself that you know
you can't make like trying to lose 50 pounds in a month. You also
don't want to try to change too many different things at once. You
may want to change many things but it would be really hard to work 60
hours a week, go to school full-time and attend aerobics five times a
week. It
takes time to change, especially when you are making major changes to your
lifestyle like weight loss, which involves a daily need to change your
eating patterns and a regular physical fitness routine. You may have
to start slowly and later increase the demands you place on
yourself.
Decide
WHEN you are going to do it. It
is important to schedule the necessary time in your life to work on
yourself and the changes you want to make in your life.
It
is important to schedule the necessary time in your life to work on your
resolution. A common excuse for not accomplishing one’s goals is
to say that you didn’t have time—so make time--you owe it to yourself!
Schedule time for your goals just as you would a work meeting or a
doctor’s appointment. You should also set dates by which you plan
to accomplish your goals or reach certain milestones.
Get
help. It greatly
increases your chances of success if you have people in your life who will
support and encourage you to continue reaching for your goals. Also, a life coach can help you create and
execute your plans to achieve your goals by helping to keep you confident,
focused and disciplined. You
may also know someone who shares your goals who can form a partnership
with you and provide mutual support on your journey. Whatever you do, do not
allow other people to sabotage you from meeting your goals or to discourage
you from making your desired changes.
Stay
strong. Most importantly,
don’t give up! You have to
value yourself and your life enough to take the time to first think about
and then act on the goals you would like to reach.
You will meet several obstacles along the way, but you should not
be discouraged from continuing the quest to get the best out of life,
whatever that looks like for you. You
will face obstacles whether you decide to keep your life exactly as it is
today or shoot for the stars. Think of how much
more fulfilling it will be to work hard for something you really want and
deserve instead of just working hard.
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Dr.
Michelle
Ask Dr. Michelle