We’re officially about three weeks into January 2010, and right about now is the time most of us (or maybe just me?) begin to struggle with keeping our New Years’ Resolutions. It’s pretty easy to let yourself slack on a newly formed lifestyle change, but hopefully my advice will motivate you a bit. Here are six points I’ve realized these last few weeks that have been keeping me going…
1.) Just do it.
This is probably the best piece of advice I can offer. Just doing the action or habit you’ve been training yourself to naturally do is the best way to get used to it, and once you’re done, you’re done. Was your resolution to stop spending so much? Then next time you’re cruising down the Blu-Ray aisle and all eight-hundred seasons of Lost seem to be calling your name, just walk away and focus on what you specifically came to purchase. Was it the ever-popular weight-loss resolution? Then just literally put no thought into the action: just do it. There are so many days where I finish class half-awake and the only thing on my mind is speeding home to fall asleep in my bed. These are the days where I have to mindlessly walk myself to the RPAC or Goat, change, and then resume all thought-processes once I am actually stair-stepping on the elliptical. On the inside you may be extremely tempted to listen to the part of your conscious screaming “Sleep!”, but just doing it can overcome any resistance.
2.) Don’t fret over skipped days.
Feeling guilty because you indulged in that Chocolate Lava Cake from Dominos’, even though you told yourself no sweets? Don’t. The line between disappointment in yourself and motivation is fine, but it is there and it is possible to turn one into the other. Next time, remind yourself of the mishap and perhaps you’ll also be reminding yourself of how much better you could be doing. Turn your guilt/worry into motivation/desire to be better and you’re golden. I hate to sound all motivational-y, but ahem, I’m a psych major. I’ll be doing that for the rest of my life. 
3.) Simplicity is key.
Joshua’s post from a couple of weeks ago about 6changes.com mentioned this idea, and I’ll reinforce it. Keeping your goals simple is your best bet. Not only will it be easy and realistic to reach them, but the positive reinforcement from consistently achieving little goals will give you the want to keep up your progress. It puts you in sort of a “I’m on a roll, why stop now?” mindset, which is critical for goal attainment. One of my favorite things to do that keeps me charged is to make a list of things I want to accomplish, complete with little check-boxes next to each task. To show you an example, my current to-do list includes:
- finish updating my Latin binder
- take my Ion through the car wash
- go through my closet and dresser and rid it of unwanted clothes (Plato’s Closet, Goodwill)
- put my fave photos on my digital photo frame
- build Legos I got for Christmas
- finish reading New Moon and Snuff and begin Dexter
- return the sweater to Kohl’s
As you can see, these are fairly practical, but wow does it feel great to complete something you’ve been meaning to do. Having a visual and the motion of crossing a goal off said list is unimaginably refreshing. Try it!
4.) Remind yourself why you’re doing it.
It’s hard to stay focused on long term goals, so don’t forget to remind yourself of the outcome you’re trying to achieve in the first place, especially when you’re tempted with the habit you’re trying to kick. For example, Joshua and I are itching to go back to Chicago this year, so for the next five-ish months we’ll be saving up for cab fare, attraction money, mini-shopping sprees and the like. To subtly remind ourselves of this goal we keep a picture of Chicago in our wallets, so every time we are tempted to buy the super-mega-extreme package of Twizzlers that we don’t need, we must take a look at that skyline and ask ourselves, is it worth a cab fare in Chicago? Is it worth a ticket to Shedd’s Aquarium? Most of the time I suck it up and put the oh-so-desirable 4-inch orange heels back.
5.) Grab (not literally) a Goal-Buddy.
I’m sure it is scientifically proven somewhere that having a partner to help you reach these goals makes it that much easier. If someone is supportive of you reaching your goal(s), great!, and if they are actually working toward that goal as well, then even better. When you have someone pushing you to finish, you will also be pushing them to succeed, and the energy will be stronger than if you were flying solo. Plus, watching them succeed should give you the want to succeed as well, and give you a “If they can do it, I can do it” mentality.
6.) Reward yourself!
Okay, so this post has been about how you should stick to your guidelines like good boys and girls and motivate yourself and others. However, a little rule-bending never hurt anyone, and in fact, I would say it helps! It’s not fair to you to completely forgo any pleasures, and trust me, you’ll lose your sanity pretty quickly. Saving for a vacation doesn’t mean you can’t ever indulge on yourself now and then. If you spend a little extra on a hot Friday night date, fantastic. Like making little lists, rewarding yourself with a gift/dessert/whatever is instantly gratifying and will give you the extra strength required to accomplish whatever it is you’re working on. Just use some moderation and you’ll be within walking distance of your goal in no time.
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