I, like most of you, have made a New Year’s Resolution. Like most of you, I have quickly given up on that resolution. And again, like most of you, I have reached January, reflected on the past year, and said to myself,
“Well, that was a miserable failure.”
One of the most common resolutions is to lose weight and to get in shape. We expect that on January first, we will pop out of bed and want to train like Rocky Balboa. That’s not how it ends up working, though.
January first, we will probably be sleeping in after the events the night before;
January second, we will have to take our friends or family to the airport.
January third and fourth are a weekend.
January fifth, we will return to work, hoping that we can make it by the gym afterward to buy our gym membership.
Oh shoot! We forgot the gym bag and protein bar at home,
so January sixth is the day that we will get rolling toward our goal.
Unfortunately, by that point, the only thing we have learned is that it is very easy for us to make excuses. Oh well, we still have 359 more days, right?
A resolution needs to be a lifestyle change, otherwise, you cannot ensure success. Gym-goers have a running joke about the first few weeks of the New Year because the gym is swamped. It only lasts a few weeks, then the “Resolutioners” burn out and the gym goes back to just the regulars.
START NOW! This is the perfect time to buy a gym membership, and make it a priority in your life. This is the perfect time to learn what it’s like to get up early, or pack a gym bag so you can hit the gym right after work. Missed a day or two of working out? That’s fine. Just don’t let “missing a day or two” become your new habit.
Gym ain’t your jam?
Now is the perfect time to buy your head lamp, running tights, or whatever supplies you need for your workout of choice. Establish the lifestyle and set yourself apart from being a “resolutioner.”
Not all resolutioners are focused on losing weight. Your resolution may be something rooted in your career. Many people want to get that raise or that promotion in the new year; start laying that groundwork now. Any leaders can see right through the act that someone puts on when they are pushing for a promotion. They all of the sudden go from average employee to go-getter, then when they get the promotion, they just go back to their old self.
As I argued with the last resolution, make it a lifestyle change. Read, learn, and be motivated now when you don’t have that carrot in front of you. This will be taken into consideration when it comes time for the company to promote someone.
Many resolutions include making new friends and being more social. This one hits very close to home with me. About a year ago, I realized that I was very unhappy. I was holding on, white-knuckled, to friendships that I was not getting any true happiness from. As friends, one by one, departed from my life, I resolved to avoid depression. It was time to rebuild, it was time to make new relationships, it was time to demand nothing but happiness from the people I brought into my life.
This is the perfect time of year to become more social. People are constantly out and about. There is an abundance of parties, functions, and events. The new year is the perfect time to cherish old friendships while building new.
These are just a few ideas on how to ensure success of your New Year’s Resolution. It isn’t just a resolution, it is a new life. We want to think that we can just wake up on January first and be a new us, but we need to create those habits now. So I say here’s to you. Here’s to looking back on December 31, 2015 and saying “Wow, this was truly the best year of my life….”
About the Author: Bryan Spiess
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