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Make Realistic New Year's Resolutions
Posted on December 26th, 2011
Penning a list of New Year’s resolutions fills you with hope and optimism for all that you are going to accomplish during the next year. But when April rolls around and you’ve yet to kick start even one of those resolutions you can end up dark and despondent. This year, be your best supporter by creating resolutions that are not only exciting and uplifting, but also realistic. Instead of writing the great American novel, make a commitment to complete one short story, or if you’ve never written before, to sign up for a fiction writing class. Here are some tips for creating an attainable list of resolutions and experiencing the best year yet!
Start Small
Yes, you want to take up tennis and lose 30 pounds and go sky diving and learn French – but starting even one of those goals would be worthy of applause. This year, go easy on yourself by creating a short list – really short, no more than three – of things that you would like to begin in 2012. Under each one, list one or two action items that will encourage the goal. For example, if you’d like to learn French, key first steps would be signing up for a French class and perhaps booking a trip to Paris.
Get Support
Pursuing anything in isolation is challenging. Don’t face your resolutions alone. Find a resolution buddy -- someone you can turn to all year – and share your goals with each other. Together you can outline a realistic plan to accomplish each goal and maybe even take those steps together.
Give Gold Stars
As the year moves on, be gentle and generous with yourself. Actively take notice of all you’ve already accomplished – even if it seems small – and give yourself gold stars (metaphorical or the actual sticky kind) for what you’ve done. If learning tennis is goal, give yourself a gold star for finding a local teacher, buying the necessary gear and showing up to your first lesson. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got a killer backhand or not, what matters is that you’re trying – and making progress. You’re already gold star-worthy!
