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Keep Your Resolutions This Year!

Posted by Admin on January 2nd, 2009 filed in Uncategorized

new-year-s-resolutions-dietingYou start off with the best of intentions when the year is  new.  A brand new year full of promise and opportunity and the possibilities seem endless and expansive!  The skies the limit and you are going to do great things!  Sound familiar?  I know…me too!  Then the momentum wanes and you start to slip a little here and there and before you know it not much has been done to make those resolutions happen permanently.

Well…the bottom line is that changing behaviors is not really as simple as just deciding you are going to do something or even announcing it.  There is a substantial commitment of time, effort, and emotion involved in making changes like this.  Whatever the goal, making it happen will be a little different for everyone.  Try to find out what works for you and then go with it.  This trial-and-error process (where you are trying to figure out how to make these changes permanent) is where people typically get frustrated and end up quitting!

Don’t do this!  If something isn’t working for you, reassess and try something different!

This is the time that you need to be looking for the techniques that work for you and finding the ways to keep yourself motivated.

One thing that may be helpful for anyone trying to incorporate behavior changes in their life is to understand the “Stages of Change”  that researchers have found that helps explain how people react to change.  Basically, this model explains that change is not easy and often making smaller changes toward a larger goal is a better way to succeed.

The Elements of Change:

  • Readiness for change:  Are you prepared with the resources and knowledge to successfully make a permanent  change?
  • Barriers to change:  Is there anything that might prevent you from changing?
  • Expect relapse:  Consider what might trigger a return to a former behavior.

Remember, change is most often successful when it occurs gradually and also know that relapses are an inevitable part of the process of change. People are often resistant to change at first but with time they will develop a committed approach to changing a behavior.

Next time: How to prepare yourself to successfully make a change in your life!

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