18.12.2016

New Year’s Resolutions: A Road to NEW You


Psychologists say that people who make explicit New Year’s Resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t explicitly make them. Here are 5 tips that will navigate your goals.

1.  Set SMART Goals

Once you’ve decided on your resolutions for the year, write them down in a way that communicates why it is important to you and place your goals in a place where you can see them regularly.

Your goals need to be S.M.A.R.T.

  • Specific – Clearly define the direction you are going to take. Your goals should be clear and without any ambiguity. Avoid making them vague.
    If losing weight is a resolution, specify how much weight you would like to lose.
  • Measurable – Identify exactly what changes you will see when you reach your goal.
  • Attainable – Write goals that are attainable and ground them in reality. An unrealistic resolution is not a goal but a wish.
  • Relevant – Make resolutions that are relevant to your lifestyle. Decide for yourself if a goal matches your skill set.
  • Time-Bound  Link your goals to a timeframe. Having a deadline creates a sense of urgency that inspires action. Set dates on your goals.

2. Keep It Simple

Dream big, but keep your goals simple. 

A big goal is easier to tackle when divided into smaller sub-goals. How do you keep your goals simple?

  • Keep the number of goals for the new year low. Quit trying to change your entire lifestyle and work on just a few areas.
  • Tackle one goal at a time.  Just focus on one goal every week or just one goal each day.
  • Don’t complicate your objective.
  • Complete your goals. When faced with a number of pending goals, first knock off the low-hanging fruits, the goals that are simpler to complete. The resulting confidence will boost your resolution to complete your other goals.

3. Reward Yourself

It is important to celebrate your progress on the path to successfully completing your goals.

Maintaining long-term focus on your goals is easier when you reward yourself along the way. It helps you stay motivated and enjoy the process of achieving your goals.

4. Accountability Partner

A common reason that causes men give up on their goals is the lack of accountability.

Have someone that holds you accountable.

How to build accountability into your goals?

  • Schedule a regular meeting. Preferably with a man who gives you a straight answer and won’t let you down easy if you are falling behind on your own goals.
  • Join a small community. A group offers support, encouragement and advice on how to stay on track with your resolutions.
  • Often accountability partners can be found online.
  • You need to find the system that works best for you. Maybe it’s your child who will hold you accountable. Kids can be powerful work drivers. Maybe your roommate or spouse can work on a goal with you. Working towards something together is always better than alone.

5. Review & Refocus

Review your goals regularly to make sure you are on track. Create a system where you reflect on your progress periodically. It could be once a week, on Monday morning or on the first day of every month.

Direct your attention to what you have learned, rather than thinking about what you have achieved.

You may find along the way that your situation has changed and you need to adjust your resolutions. Deleting irrelevant and redundant goals will help you refocus your energy on the ones still pending.

Break your goals into smaller time-frames in case you have to change your direction.

When you review your current goals, ask yourself if any new resolutions should be added to the list to contribute towards your long-term objectives.

Often the challenge with resolutions is not setting them, but sticking to them. It’s about persistence – not about how many times you fall.

Vocabulary

Explicit Открытый Pending goals Отложенные цели
Attain  goals Достигать целей Boost one’s resolution Подпитывать решимость
Ambiguity Неоднозначность Reward yourself Вознаграждать себя
Vague Смутный, туманный Lack accountability Недостаток подотчетности
Ground in reality Заземлить Hold smb accountable Заставлять отчитываться
Match smb’s skill set Соответствовать умениям Reflect on one’s progress Размышлять о достижениях
Sense of urgency Чувство неотложности Adjust resolutions Откорректировать решения
Inspire action Вдохновлять на работу Irrelevant and redundant goals Неактуальные и лишние цели
Tackle a goal Работать с целью Stick to resolutions Придерживаться решений
Quit smth Бросать , переставать
Complicate objectives Усложнять задачи