Three weeks into the New Year and the odds are most resolutions have slowly died off. Those 10 pounds that were destined to be gone by summer are now destined to be slipping back on as the veggies gradually disappear and the hamburgers make a comeback.
New Year’s resolutions are often difficult to keep. It has gotten to the point where most people just stop making them. Yet with a few tips that simple flicker of a statement can become a full blown campfire.
Freshman Jennifer Layfield said her major resolution is “just stand up for what I believe in and don’t let others convince me differently.” Layfield has devised a plan to help herself adhere to her resolution. She says her goal is to “keep myself in check and not let people make choices for me. My motivation is just trying to make myself a stronger person.” She also finds that there are some resolutions that are harder to keep, but says, “it would depend on the person and what kind of resolution would be hard for them.”
To make a lasting impression, resolutions have to be habits that become a lifestyle. Here are five easy tips to help you take hold of that habit and make it last.
1. Pick Your Resolution: Pick one, focus on it, and stick to it; flopping between options wastes mental and physical energy. It is also important to pick a resolution that is something you have an interest in or at least have the potential of liking; if you don’t care about it, giving up becomes a lot easier.
2. Rationalize it: Knowing why you decided on that specific resolution can help in the long-run. If it helps, try making a list of benefits or one of positives and negatives. Tape this list somewhere you will see it often as a reminder and a motivator on the days you feel a bit down and want to quit.
3. Set Goals: The best thing to keep yourself on track is to make a list of goals and stick to them the best you can.
4. Cheat days are okay. Pace yourself: Just because you have a bad day and do not feel like you can go on, that is okay. The response you have to those bad days can change everything about your resolution. It is important not to push yourself, but always try to do something. For example, if the resolution is to run a five mile marathon in the next December, don’t push yourself to do all five miles on the first day. If you need to walk some of those days, that’s great. Just getting in the mentality of what needs to be done to accomplish your goal is important. Remember be consistent.
5. Find a Buddy: Plainly put, the buddy system works. Whether it’s a run to the bathroom or a run on the trail, having someone with the same goals will always be a great motivator. Also a buddy can help create a routine and keep the spirits up.
Keep these five tips in mind when holding on to a New Year’s Resolution; it might help to think of them more of habits to make or a lifestyle choice. Good habits take around thirty days to make, but years to break.
Tips for making (and keeping) those New Year's resolutions
