Happy New Year one and all from Serenity Homecare! We have come to the first week of the year, where we are (hopefully!) taking down our Christmas trees and decorations, rolling around from too much holiday desserts, preparing to head back to work, and marking our resolutions for 2014. Too many people set the same goals each year – to live healthier, lose weight, spend more time with family, learn a language, etc. – but know that they will give up on these resolutions by March. Here are some ideas to avoid that:
- Write down your resolutions. By taking out a physical pen and paper and actually recording the goals that you have set for yourself, you are already more committed. Leaving the list somewhere that you will see it more often is even better.
- Tell everyone. Whenever you tell people you have a goal, you are more likely to strive for it because you know that they will be watching your path to success. Sharing your goals also helps you create a support team that will help you get there. Want to start walking 5 days a week? Tell all your friends – you’re bound to find some walking buddies.
- Set check-ins. Establish a timeline for the steps on your path to success. If your goal was to lose weight, set realistic expectations for each month of the year where you should be. Setting a target weight that you need to achieve by December 2014 will not motivate you to live healthier today – but knowing that there is a weigh-in every 4 weeks sure will!
- Know your ‘why’. Saying that you are going to be healthier this year is great, but why are you doing it? If it’s just because that’s the norm for January 1st conversation, that might not get you there. But perhaps you have a strong reason that ignites you: you are worried about a health condition, your doctor recommended it, you have a big occasion coming up that you want to feel great for – whatever it is, remind yourself why 2014 is the year that you are going to change your life.