How many people woke up on the 1stof January with a list of New Years Resolutions? I am going to start going to gym three times a week, I am going to quit smoking, I am going to drop that extra 5 kg’s, the list goes on and on and on. The problem with New Year's resolutions is that it is difficult to stick to them and to keep the momentum going once all the festivities have died down and life returns to normal and come mid-March we seem to have slipped back into our old habits.
The word resolution has a few related meanings having to do with being firmly determined about something. Resolution is the noun form of the verb resolve, which comes from Latin resolvere, "to loosen, undo, settle." It means “a firm decision to do or not to do something.”
Why do we wait for the clock to strike at Midnight for the new calendar year to start before we get the determination to commit to making changes in our lives?
If you want to stick to the goals or resolutions you committed to then you need a driving force a strong motivation, ask yourself these questions:
- Why do I want to follow through on this resolution?
- What will the impact be if I don’t?
- Who will keep me motivated to achieve the goal?
- Who will be impacted by me achieving the goal?
- How will I reward myself when I reach milestones on my way to achieving the goals?
- What will my final reward be once I get there?
- How will I sustain the change?
If you can answer these questions, you may be a few steps closer to sticking to your “New Years” resolutions.
I believe that the biggest driving force is Integrity to yourself. I like to define integrity as “doing what I say I will do by when I say I will do it”. So when I say I will get up at 5h00 in the morning to go to the gym, do I roll over turn off the alarm clock and go back to sleep promising myself I will do it tomorrow or do I stay within integrity and keep my commitments to myself? Each time you make a promise to yourself and don’t stick to it, you start programming your mind not to achieve what you say you will. Your ability to achieve your goals is directly linked to your integrity to yourself.
So once all the celebrations have worn off ask yourself what resolution you made and define why you made them, then start being true to yourself and stick to them.
Should you only end up reading this in March, don’t wait until the 31 December to make a change, every day is a new opportunity to change. Whether it be in your health, personal life or business life. Grab each day and ask what do I want to achieve today, what resolution am I making this morning and how am I going to stick to it.
So now that all the fun has died down here is my advice to you, don’t look back with regrets on what has happened wishing things were different, each experience you have gone through has made you who you are today. Tough times make us stronger and teach us lessons. Don’t try change things in others, focus on yourself, be grateful for all the lessons life has taught you and as you head into 2019 with heightening determination, grab every opportunity, learn lessons as they happen, don’t harp on the past, don’t try control things out of your control and live each day to the fullest.