Here's a Solution...Forget Those 2015 Resolutions!

Keep it simple and attainable...don't forget the fun!

EVERY year, millions of people make new year's resolutions. I don't know about you, but after a week or two, I've usually dropped the ball. Who wants to wait another year? Or another week to start over? What are your resolutions? Ones you have had before?

Here are the usual 10 Ten New Years Resolutions:

1. Lose weight
2. Volunteer
3. Quit smoking
4. Get a better education
5. Get a better job
6. Save money
7. Get fit
8. Eat healthy food
9. Manage stress
10. Manage debt

Look familiar? What resolutions have your already made and broken? It's inevitable...and research shows it's impossible to maintain a year long resolution.

Here's why and what you can do.

• Goals are more successful (than resolutions)- In the 1960s, Dr. Edwin Locke was the pioneer of research in goal setting. He developed his research with Dr. Gary Latham and uncovered that to set goals, there must be certain elements. They identified these as: 

• Clarity--do you know clearly what your goal is? Often times we make our goals so complicated, Superman couldn't achieve them.
• Challenge--does the challenge motivate and excite you? This is key. Don't set a boring goal, set one that inspires you.
• Commitment--how will you stay true to the end prize? What roadblocks do you predict, how will you get past those?
• Feedback--HUGE piece. How will you know you are on track, off key? Technology can help you keep on target. There are all kinds of apps out there to help you manage your goal; from health, fitness logs to money managing forms and food diaries...just as examples.
• Task complexity--this is probably the most important. What to do when you think your goal is too hard or stressful. If it really is too complex, go back and re-work your goal, create a new or similar one. Maybe in stead of trying to get to the gym everyday, you shoot for 3 times a week. Instead of trying save 1/2 your paycheck, you save 25% to start. 

What treadmills tend to look like by the end of January.

• Keep your goals to yourself- According to research, once you verbalize what your goals/resolutions are, you are less likely to achieve them. People tend to get a thrill from saying something like, "Hey everyone, I am going to loose 25 pounds this year!"  It's called social reality where your mind is actually tricked into thinking it has been done. Participants in the study who did not share their goals spent more time on task and when time ran out they still felt like they work to do. Therefore, keep it to yourself!

• Dig deep- What is it that YOU really want to accomplish? Take a step back from what you think others want, what is it that will keep you centered and moving forward to be the best you can be for yourself, which will then have a positive impact on those are affected by who are you and what you do. So many times, we worry about what others want for us, or want us to do. We need to dig deep and find out what will keep us happy and healthy.

• Rely on a little help from your friends- Including your friends on meeting up to workout with you, or to give you advice on how to manage your goals in general, can be incredibly helpful. You don't have to tell them what your goal(s) is/are, but just ask how they have achieved something they worked for in their own lives. We all have friends with different types of talents who can give insight on how they get things done. Friends have helpful tips, habits, websites, apps that they use and do which they can share their firsthand experience. If you need to be directed to some helpful apps and websites, please ask me, I'll be your friend.

It's ok to make mistakes, just don't reward yourself with a donut or Duff beer.

• Keep a journal- Even if you don't enjoy writing, keeping a journal can change your life. A psychiatric study showed that spending 15-20 minutes on 3-5 occasions expressively writing can have profound physical and psychological benefits. Even better, no one is grading it! Experts suggest keeping your writing as simple as you wish, as you begin. From there, you can get more detailed and lengthy as time goes on. Journal writing also has other benefits such as inspiring creativity (yes, everyone is creative in some way, shape or form), increasing your writing skills, and keeps a record of your own mistakes and successes. Why would you want to document your mistakes? So you can learn from them. Nothing wrong with making mistakes, they help you discover who you are and teach you valuable lessons.

JUST DO IT

YOU CAN DO IT

Listen to The Script break it down: "don't wait for luck...dedicate yourself and go find yourself"