Set Yourself Up for Success
Michele Russ
It’s finally here – 2021! We’ve all been anxiously awaiting the day we could finally turn the page on 2020. What a year it was.
I love the idea of taking stock this time of year and wanting to begin 2021 with a clean slate and good intentions. Like any other year, many of us have set New Year’s resolutions vowing to break bad habits, advance our careers, learn a new language, start a new hobby or commit to a healthier lifestyle. Also like any other year, the chances of sticking to these resolutions for more than a couple of months aren’t very good. Research shows that up to 50% of Americans make New Year resolutions, but less than 10% end up making it through March. If you’re like me, you might have trouble making it through the following weekend!
If that sounds all too familiar, it’s time for us to take a look at the resolutions we’ve set, develop strategies for handling obstacles, and learn to celebrate our small successes along the way to keep us motivated.
It’s easy to blame ourselves for not having enough will-power or strength to stick with our resolutions, but usually the problem lies with the resolution itself. If you’ve already set yours (and are already struggling), take a moment to make sure you’ve set S.M.A.R.T. goals. SMART goals were developed for the business world, but the concept works well for anything you are trying to accomplish and can improve your chances of success. SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely. Setting Specific, Measurable goals is key. Things like “I will walk two miles at 6:30 am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday” is going to be easier to visualize and track than “I will walk three times per week”. Your goals must also be Attainable. If your knees are bad or you don’t have a safe place to walk nearby, walking two miles regularly isn’t going to work out over the long term. To make sure your goals are relevant; ask yourself why this specific accomplishment is important to you. How will it make your life better? What do you hope to gain? Lastly, your goal should be timely. Set a deadline with both long-term and short-term check ins. This will create a sense of urgency and accountability.
If you’ve truly set “smart” goals, you should have already removed some of the obstacles that might get in your way. But, life happens and problems arise and we need plans in place to keep us moving forward. Using the example above, what would you do when it rains or the roads are icy? Perhaps walk on a treadmill or invest in some good rainwear. Up late the night before and tempted to hit the snooze button multiple times? Maybe enlist a walking partner to increase your chances of getting up early. To be successful, we need to constantly evaluate how we’re doing, deal with challenges we’re facing and tweak our plan to make sure we keep going.
Lastly, we need to celebrate our small victories along the way. I love looking for excuses to celebrate, and with the year we’ve just had, we can all benefit from looking for and celebrating the little wins. You walked in the rain even when you wanted to stay in bed? Woohoo! Take a moment to really feel good about that. You’re completing your two miles faster than when you started? That’s great! Find a small way to celebrate. Fresh flowers for your desk or a quick brag text to your BFF might give you a boost and keep you motivated to keep going. When we celebrate the little wins, the journey over the long haul is much more enjoyable.
New Year’s resolutions are hard to keep because behavior change is hard. Don’t beat yourself up if you start to slip back to your old ways, but do re-evaluate your plans and make adjustments. By making sure you’ve set SMART goals, removed obstacles and celebrate your successes, YOU can be part of the 10% that keeps their resolutions and turns them into lifelong habits. Now that would be something to celebrate!
Michele Russ is a certified Health & Wellness Coach, yoga teacher and general health enthusiast.