Realizing goals. We know it's hard. The New Year signals new beginnings, so why not make that the day to start anew with new ways of being and doing? Research conducted at the University of Scranton highlights some challenges about making and keeping those promises to ourselves:
- 40% of people state they make New Year’s resolutions.
- By the end of the first week, only 30% of people are still sticking with their intentions.
Do intentions have to end like this? Are there ways to avoid joining the ranks of the 70% who are back to business as usual at the end of the first week? My answer is: yes!
With this in mind, here are a few things to consider before setting those resolutions:
- Consider a few preparatory questions, and talk with a trusted friend or partner to “pressure test” your answers and commitment to the change.
- What do I want to work on?
- Where am I regarding the need or desire to change?
- How would I approach a change if I were to take it on?
- What will happen if I succeed?
- What will happen if I don’t succeed?
- Who can assist me in the change?
- Where are the tripwires that will derail my progress faster than anything?
- Start small with one change. We often set unrealistic goals, setting ourselves up for failure. And ask yourself if setting lofty goals is you actually subconsciously setting yourself up to fail.
- Take on changing the behavior gradually, starting with easy wins first. For example, I used to counsel patients who wanted to quit smoking to start small by eliminating 2 cigarettes per day per week and identifying the times of day that smoking is most pleasurable and eliminating those smokes last. This same approach could work for other changes, like starting a running routine (begin with a quarter mile the first week and then walk the rest, gradually adding longer distances to the run).
- Declare your plan to those you love and trust and ask for their help to keep you going. All of us need an entourage to support, encourage and keep us honest!
- Keep a journal of your progress and be sure to congratulate yourself on the small and big wins. Be mindful of your self-talk and be your own cheerleader!
- Get a Commitment Buddy. Work alongside someone who also wants to make a change and do it together! You needn’t be working on the same thing, but support each other in reaching your individual goals.
- Be mindful of your potential tripwires. They will come up, but it is important to forgive yourself and show some small mercy without lapsing completely back into old habits.
- Visualize what you want the end results to look like. I can recall losing weight over 20 years ago, and the scrubs were part of my motivation. Hospital scrubs came in three sizes and the drawstrings had three colors: yellow was small, orange was medium and white was large. I kept thinking about how cool it would be to be back in the scrubs with the yellow drawstrings!
- Find some quiet time at the end of every day to assess how it went: what went well, how will you get tomorrow done and where could you use some extra help, if at all.
- Remember that you are human. If this stuff were easy, we wouldn’t need articles like this one! The key to success is being gentle with yourself.
May your New Year be intention-filled with all you need to continue this journey called living in a manner that allows you to smile at the end of every day and say, “Well done!”
By Jandel Allen-Davis, MD
Craig Hospital President & CEO