Motivational Article

The concept in itself is a good one: take stock of your life, highlight the areas that could use improvement, and then resolve—with every good intention—to mend your ways. We make the annual promise to ourselves to join the gym, stop swearing, save money, quit smoking, be nicer to the in-laws, spend more time with the kids. Why is it so hard to keep those promises to ourselves?

The key to keeping those resolutions is simple: you have to WANT to make a change and you have to know WHY you want it. Lots of people resolve to quit smoking on January 1, but they don't succeed because they don't really want to quit. They are doing it for other reasons: their doctor told them to; cigarettes are too expensive; it's inconvenient to have to go outside to smoke. People who REALLY want to quit smoking wake up one morning and throw out the half empty pack. They don't wait for an arbitrary date; they don't discuss it with anyone. They just quit. They have reached the stage of personal evolution that allows them to be ready and committed to changing the habit.

So, if you are serious about “resolving and evolving”, here are 10 tips to follow when making resolutions (but you don't have to wait for New Year's!).

1.  Write them down . Post them everywhere: on the fridge, the bathroom mirror, the car dashboard. Seeing is reminding (and believing!)

2.  Keep it short . A list of no more than 5 resolutions is big enough to create a 'critical mass' of energy to motivate you and is short enough that it isn't overwhelming.

3.  Keep it simple (but also specific). Instead of "I will lose weight" say "I will lose 10 pounds by September."

4.  Picture yourself as if your resolution were already realized.
Involve as many senses as you can--see it, smell it, feel it. (Picture yourself on a warm beach in September with fewer clothes! Feel the sun on your skin. Imagine your partner smelling your hair without cigarette smoke in it and running his or her fingers through it.) Associate the picture with positive emotions: be excited about (and proud of) the new you.

5.  Repeat the process . Visualize twice a day. A serious effort takes a total of about 20-25 minutes a day. Do it in the shower, on the bus, in the market line-up—put that otherwise idle time to positive use. If you invest the time in visualization, you will be more likely to take action that leads to results.

6.  Tell other people . By having someone “check up” on you occasionally, you are more likely to follow through: you create a support network to help you along the way.

7.  Take action . Make a step every day towards realizing your resolutions, no matter how small. Suddenly, you'll be there. (If you take a step backward, don't give up! Just start a new step tomorrow.) If you continually slip, then maybe you're not ready. Wait a week and revisit the resolution. Do you really want to change? Why?

8.  Take credit . Acknowledge yourself for every step you complete on the way to realizing your resolution: celebrate the personal success and treat yourself. ( Tip: don't reward yourself with something that will sabotage your hard work i.e. light up a cigarette or eat half a cheesecake! Instead, take a weekend trip; get a massage; buy yourself some flowers; go to the theatre.)

9.  Cross it off . After realizing any and each of your resolutions, cross it off your list and replace it with another.

10.  Keep the list . Maintain a revolving list of resolutions, throughout the year. This will keep you aware of your continual evolution.

Resolve…revolve…evolve!