by Maria Miaoulis

Created on: January 06, 2011

Everyone looks to January 1st as a fresh start. The slate has been wiped clean, and we have another chance to make things right. But with these feelings of renewal comes the pressure not to screw it up. Sometimes it can be so overwhelming that most people give up on New Year’s resolutions only a few days into January. However, resolutions are not that hard to keep. If you take it one day at a time, you can be one of the 46% of people who are still on track with their goal after six months. Here are five goal setting tips to help get you there:

-Be realistic:

Losing weight is the most popular New Year’s resolution. Most people though get discouraged when they don’t see immediate results. While you shouldn’t lose sight of your long-term goal, e.g. losing 50 pounds, you also can’t expect to drop the weight in a month. Calculate how many pounds you should lose every month and use this as a guide.

-Write it down:

If you write out your resolutions, you are more likely to succeed in accomplishing them. List them on a piece of paper and post this somewhere you will see it often. Read them aloud to yourself. By doing this every day, you will be that much more determined to follow through.

-Give yourself a break:

Don’t beat yourself up if you slip. Did you cheat on your diet by having dessert? Were you so tired that you couldn’t make it to the gym today? Or perhaps you lost your temper and yelled at a loved one? Relax. It’s not quite the end of the world. Everyone makes mistakes, and life happens. But it’s important that you don’t stop going because of one setback. Just call it a day and resolve to continue tomorrow.

-Ask for support:

If you’ve decided to give up smoking, but you surround yourself with people who do, you’re going to have a hard time cutting down. But if you explain to friends, family, coworkers, etc. how important it is to you, chances are they’ll be sensitive to your needs and find ways to support you. Don’t think it’s a sign of weakness to ask for help. Quite the contrary, everyone will admire you for your efforts.

-Reward yourself:

All work and no play is definitely not fun. Denying yourself a good time or even a little treat here and there will make you more likely to cheat (usually more extremely), undoing all your hard work. So if you’ve cut back on sweets for the last few weeks, take a trip to the ice cream store for a scoop of your favorite flavor. Been going to the gym faithfully all month? Spice up your workout with a hike or roller-skating outing. Having something to look forward to is great motivation for putting in the work day in and day out.

Hopefully by taking these five goal-setting tips into account, you’ll be that much closer to fulfilling your New Year’s resolution. Good luck!

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