New Year’s resolutions are known to fail. Year after year people vow to make a change, and in most cases, year after year the changes are never made. Eventually, it gets to a point where a person will stop making resolutions because they just figure they will fail. I was one of those people. For years, I would make a resolution and it would fail usually by late January. The first week I would start out real hot- doing everything that I had to do to make the change. By the second week, I would start to fade. By third all hope was essentially lost and by the fourth I had completed given up. Finally, though, after years of trial and error, I have discovered the three keys to successfully achieving a New Year’s resolution.
Make It Realistic
Having a realistic goal is a MAJOR KEY. If you set your sights way too high, you will not be able to achieve it. The saying, “shoot for the moon, because if you miss you’ll be among the stars” does not apply here, folks. If you shoot for the moon, you will almost always fail. I know this first hand. Throughout all of middle school and freshman year in high school my New Year’s resolution was to be able to dunk a basketball. In hindsight, there was zero chance of this actually happening. I was a 5’8 pudge ball with about a five-inch vertical. I was lucky if I could touch the net. But each year I was determined to dunk. Every year I would tell myself “this year is my year” and each year it was not my year. So make it realistic. If you want to lose weight, set an attainable goal of 15 to 20 pounds. Then once you hit that, set another goal. It’s all about baby steps.
Confidence
Confidence is another MAJOR KEY. You gotta be confident in yourself in order to do anything. If you don't believe you can do something, you won’t be able to do that. The best way to keep your confidence up is by having smaller easily attainable goals that will eventually add up to accomplishing your overall goal. If you are trying to run a marathon, start off with a goal of running 5 miles, then 7 miles, then 9 miles, etc. You want to feel like you’ve accomplished something or else you will get discouraged. Getting discouraged is the first step on the slippery slope towards failure. You gotta keep you head up.
Commit
Commitment is the final MAJOR KEY. Once you set that attainable goal, you have to go all in. Become obsessed with attaining your goal. Now I’m not talking the level of obsession that Crossfit people have for Crossfit. That’s just not healthy. You also don't want to be that person constantly talking about losing weight or whatever your goal is because quite frankly no one really likes that. But you want to be committed to a point to where it is always on your mind. You want to make sure that every day you do something that will help you attain your goal. For example, if it’s losing weight, make sure you only eat healthy things and work out everyday. Don't let yourself slip up. Be vigilant and dedicated. Be determined.
I can personally guarantee that by following these steps, you will successfully achieve your New Year’s resolution. They have worked for me and they can work for you. Now you’re probably asking yourself if I can dunk a basketball. The answer is a hard no. While I am no longer a 5’8 pudge ball, there were just too many factors going against me. Sometimes things just weren't meant to be. Not even these absolutely ingenious steps can accomplish the impossible.
