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How To Actually Follow Through With Your New Year’s Resolutions
It’s that time of year again. As the holidays swing to a close, people look to the new year for a fresh start. January is often referred to as “gym month” because so many people sign up for memberships.
Most New Year’s resolutions tend to focus on ambitious, worthwhile goals — such as losing weight or quitting smoking. The problem is the follow-through. We stick to these resolutions for a couple of weeks but they usually don’t pan out in the long-term — and there’s a reason for that.
You’re thinking too big
Many resolutions center around vague goals like, “I want to lose fifty pounds,” or, “I want to stop stressing out so much.” Both are great goals, but they don’t tell me how you intend to accomplish those goals.
New Year’s resolutions aren’t only goals — they’re plans. It’s hard to follow through on a poor plan — no matter how much you might want something. If you make a vague statement without a thoughtful plan behind it, you’ll end up floundering once the new year begins. Even deciding to lose fifty pounds by joining the gym still isn’t much of a strategy — it leaves too many variables unconsidered. (How many days a week will you go to the gym? What sort of exercises will…
