5 Months Until a New Year.. How are Those Resolutions?

In just 5 short months we will be entering a BRAND NEW YEAR! If you are like most people, when January 2011 arrived, you were all fired up and eager to move full speed ahead with your New Year Resolutions. You were serious; you put a lot of thought into your goals and visualized the body you were going to create. Your plan was fool proof and without a doubt it was going to change your life forever. You stated your intentions to the Universe and you were off to a great start, boldly taking steps you knew would lead you directly to the life of your dreams!

And then . . . it happened, life showed up and you started losing steam. Like most people, it started small and before you knew it those life changing goals became a thing of the past. Does this sound familiar? Did you know that there are many common reasons why people have trouble achieving their goals? It is easy to set New Year’s Resolution goals but it’s not always easy to maintain them. Most people started 2011 with good intentions but the high demands of life often derailed their plans. Don’t feel bad if you set a weight loss goal for 2011 and you have yet to achieve it. Most people haven’t as well. In fact, it’s quite common for people to get stuck in an endless cycle of setting goals and then quitting them shortly afterwards – and accomplishing nothing at all.

If you are struggling in any way to stay committed to your New Year goals, you have come to the right place. We will discuss common reasons that people encounter while pursuing their goals and offer helpful “tips” to help you work through them effectively. This article will be equipped with information to help you breakthrough your stagnation, figure out what is REALLY going on - why you are not making the progress you hoped for - and determine the best course of action to bring your goals back on track, quickly and effectively.

Let’s take a closer look at why people struggle with sticking to their goals. One of the biggest reasons is a lack of commitment to their goal. Without commitment a goal will gradually shrink in importance, and the temptation to quit will seem much more attractive, especially when obstacles cause setbacks and delays.

On the other hand, if you make a serious commitment and then continually remind yourself of it, you’ll be much more likely to persevere and achieve the goal.

New Year’s Resolution Goal Recovery Plan:

1) First and foremost, you have to make sure that every goal you set is of VITAL importance to you. This can be tricky because we so often fool ourselves into thinking we want one thing when we want something entirely different. Take some time with this part of the process, don’t rush it and be sure that you get to the heart of what you really want. Why do you want it? What will it do for you? What positive things will it bring to your life? How will it help you? How will it make you feel when it’s accomplished?

Write all of this down and keep it handy so you can refer to it as often as necessary if you feel your commitment beginning to slip.

Also ask yourself if your goal is worth the effort and sacrifice that will be needed to achieve it. If you can honestly answer yes, you are on the way!

2) Think about what will happen if you don’t follow through. Would nothing much happen if you don’t achieve your goal? If not, then you need to raise the stakes! You have to make your goal the most important thing in the world, and if you don’t do it, you’ll deal with negative consequences. Even if you have to indulge in a bit of “make believe” in order to do this, do it. For example, play up the fact that you’ll lose respect for yourself if you don’t follow through; or you might agree to give up something you love if you don’t make it happen.

3) Then, each and every day, renew your commitment. It’s easy to be committed you’re your goal is new and your motivation is high, but you need to be able to STAY committed – no matter what! Each day when you awaken, read through the goal you wrote down on the first day, and stress again how vitally important it is to you. Promise yourself that you’re going to do as much as you can to work on your goal that day, and every day until you achieve it.

When it comes right down to it, no one can achieve your goals for you. If you want to achieve them, you’ll have to find the determination necessary to keep going. Inactivity and procrastination are usually nothing more than bad habits. Turning those habits into something more positive and productive is as simple as taking it a day at a time and working your hardest to change your life. The more committed and determined you are to making your goal happen, the more likely you’ll do just that. Renew your New Year’s Resolution Goals today and achieve them before the end of the year.