Keeping Your New Year’s Resolution

Written by: Pudding

New Year’s resolutions are tough. I’m willing to bet that some of you reading this have already broken yours. After all, it does seem kind of silly to change your life cold turkey just because it’s a new year. Still, if you’re not going to make changes now, when will you?

I know very few people who even bother with New Year's resolutions anymore. Yes, they're tough, but if you succeed, it's an amazing feeling. I'm still pretty proud of myself for keeping a resolution from 2001.

It’s not too late to come up with a resolution and keep it. If it’s something important to you, it will all be worth it. Ultimately, there are really only three things you need for a successful resolution. A plan, accountability, and some awesome rewards. Why not go for it?

Plan

It’s very easy to say, “I wanna lose weight/learn to juggle/make new friends.” (Well, actually it isn’t that easy. I find it very difficult to enunciate my slashes.) It’s a lot harder to actually do any of those things, especially if that’s the extent of your plans. Sit down right now and write out what it is you want to do and why you want to do it. My resolution goes something like this:

Why you’re doing this is more important than what you’re doing, I’ve found. Say that your resolution looks like this right now:

This is a pretty good resolution, but I think it’s backwards. This example focuses on something negative, losing weight. Honestly, I’ve never found the things involved in a single-minded pursuit of weight loss to be enjoyable. What the person in this example really wants is to be healthier. Don’t forget that if you focus on a somewhat broader goal, your narrower resolution may just take care of itself. So, let’s try rewriting it more along these lines:

This is a much better resolution!! it allows someone to come up with a definite plan of action as to how they are going to carry out their newly made resolution.

A good plan for our soon-to-be health nut would be along the lines of:

In January, I will go through my refrigerator and get rid of the unhealthy food. I will then talk to my doctor about my plans and consult a nutritionist if necessary. Then I’ll go to the grocery store and buy lots of yummy and healthy food to replace the unhealthy stuff.




In February, I will join a yoga class that meets twice a week and go with a friend.




In March, I will start taking my dog for a long walk (at least 30 minutes) every day.

Here’s mine for the next few months:

In January, I will make plans with my study group to meet twice a week for the rest of the semester, whether we have a test coming up or not.




In February, I will start discussing the reading assignments for my classes with my professors outside of class at least once a week for the rest of the semester.




In March, I will spend at least 6 hours studying for each of my midterms prior to the week when I have my tests.

Notice that I have a concrete goal for each month, and it’s not something vague. I can check off whether I’ve met with Professor Science that week, but I couldn’t really tell you if I’d “studied more” or “read a lot”--those aren’t anything definite. Also, the goals for each month aren’t dependant on each other--if I get sick in February and miss one or two meetings, that won’t ruin my plans for March. Trust me, your resolution will be a lot easier to keep if one little setback doesn’t throw off your entire plan.

Another thing that you should put into your plan is who you’re going to get help from. In my case, it’s my study group and professors. For the future health nut, it’s a nutritionist, a workout buddy, and a dog. (Yes, the dog will be incredibly helpful. Trust me on this one.) These people will provide...

Accountability

Accountability is the magical ingredient that turns a plan into reality. There may be some hermit in the wilds of South Dakota who keeps his resolutions without having someone to support him in them, but we mere mortals need other people (and pets) to help us, nag us, and celebrate with us. Tell people about your resolution. Make sure that they know you’re serious about it.

If you’re lucky, you’ll wind up telling someone who will become your cheerleader and wants to see you succeed as much as you do. These people are wonderful, helpful, amazing creatures without whom it would not be worth it to even make New Year’s resolutions. Be sure to tell them so a few thousand times.

However, the people who will keep you on your quest to get better grades/learn to fly a plane/be more environmentally friendly are the ones who will annoy you about it constantly. If you know someone who loves to nag you about these things, tell them about your plans. They’ll be all too happy to point out when you’re about to mess up your resolution. You will keep it, if only to avoid having to listen to them say they told you so. People who will nag you are the unsung heroes of New Year’s resolutions. Hey, at least they’re good for something.

Make sure you tell people whose good opinion you value. I’m afraid random people on the Internet aren’t very good for this--it’s way too easy to dismiss what they have to say or just pretend you’re keeping your resolution. People who see you all the time are way better at helping you stick to your plans.

Once you have, it’s time for a...

Reward

Each month, come up with something to reward yourself for meeting your goals. Hey, you rock and deserve to get something cool for all of your hard work.

This is by far the easiest step, but it will be the one that keeps you going in the wilds of March when you really just want to forget about your resolution. If you’ve got something you really want on the line, it will keep you going.

I just have two guidelines for picking rewards:

1. Make the rewards for each month get progressively better.

December should be something amazingly fabulous that you will really appreciate once you meet your goal. Cool running shoes would work if you’re trying to get in shape for a marathon, for example. January and February should be something that keeps you going during the hardest months of your resolution. Pick something that will make it easier, like a book on how to do whatever it is you’re trying to do--or one that will make it easier, like a cookbook of tasty and healthy desserts.

2. Don’t pick something that will sabotage your plan.

Don't pick a deep-fried Twinkie as a reward if you’re trying to become a health nut, and no books about plane crashes if you’re trying to get over a phobia of flight. You’d be surprised at how many people do this sort of thing to “test themselves”. Don’t be one of them--relapses are no fun.

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You’ve got a long road ahead of you, but you’ve got a map to get where you’re going, some friends to help you along the way (and keep you from making a wrong turn), and a reward waiting for you once you get where you’re going. Good luck, and have a wonderful New Year!