Every year, millions of people around the world
stay up late on December 31 to usher in the new year. The New Year is a
great time for reflection on the past year and what improvements you can
strive for in the coming months. Resolutions are made around the globe,
and then promptly broken. One of the biggest
reasons for these dropped resolutions is lack of a plan. Here are some
tips to help you keep your New Year's resolutions.
Every year, millions of people around the
world stay up late on December 31 to usher in the new year. The New Year
is a great time for reflection on the past year and what improvements
you can strive for in the coming months. Resolutions are made around the
globe, and then promptly broken. Though by the end of January most
resolutions are forgotten, it doesn't have to be this way. One of the
biggest reasons for these dropped resolutions is lack of a plan. Here
are some tips to help you keep your New Year's resolutions.
Make is specific. A popular resolution is to lose
weight. Does it get more vague? This doesn't really give you something
specific to aim for; try to pinpoint exactly what it is you want to do.
If you start with lose weight, a more focused goal could be to lose 25
pounds by your birthday in July. Or to fit back into your pre-pregnancy
jeans by the time your baby is a year old. Lose weight can also
translate into a goal to eat healthier or exercise more, two other
resolutions that may also need narrowing down. The point is, having a
specific aim to reach by a certain time is more likely to be attained
than a general wish.
Make it realistic.
Lofty goals are fine but moving to the moon might be a little out of
reach. Unachievable plans are soon left by the wayside as the New Year's
Eve high wears off and real life sets in. To stay with our lose weight
example, make a goal to lose weight healthily, one to two pounds a week.
This is not only doable, it's much healthier for your body than crash
dieting to lose five or more pounds a week. Giving yourself realistic
expectations increases the likelihood that you'll complete your goals.
Make
a plan. Without a plan, great ideas never get finished. Set aside some
time to figure out what it is you need to do to accomplish your goals.
Maybe you need to go for a walk every afternoon or join a gym. Or maybe
you need to cut back to one soda a day and one dessert a week. Whatever
your plan of action is, having one- and sticking to it- will be a great
help on your journey.
Make it fun. Who
wants to keep a resolution that drains the life out of you? No one we
know. So do something to add fun to your goal. Dancing burns a lot of
calories just as well as running on a treadmill and yet is much more
fun. Nowadays there are multiple video game systems that offer fitness
programs you can complete without ever leaving your home. Along with
keeping things fun, allow yourself room for error. Rigid plans aren't
any fun either. So go ahead, have that piece of chocolate cake at your
friend's birthday party. Just don't go overboard and don't do it every
day.
These guidelines are here to help you keep your resolutions but
the real work is up to you. Nail down a concrete, achievable goal for
yourself and figure out how to get there. But don't forget to have a
little fun on the way. Good luck and happy new year!
Jeff McRitchie is the director of marketing for MyBinding.com.
He regularly writes articles, reviews and blog posts on topics related
to book binding, laminating, paper shredding and office equipment. With
more than 2,500 articles that have been published in thousands of
locations on the web. If you are looking for information on binding
machines, book binding supplies, binder covers, binders, index tabs,
laminators, laminating pouches, laminating roll film, name tags,
lanyards, paper shredders, whiteboards, paper cutters and paper folding machines his articles are a good place to start.
