Let’s Actually Make New Years Resolutions That Will STICK
Happy 2019! I’ve spent the day indulging in greens, cornbread, and black-eyed peas, but like most of you, I have spent a lot of time thinking about what my goals are for 2019. 2018 brought me lots of joy, with graduating from residency, starting a new job, and finally tapping into some of the goals that I feel most passionate about. I also spend a lot of time over the last several weeks thinking about what I want this year to bring me.
Over the years, I’ve found a few different tricks to help me to accomplish the goals that I make. I hope these will help you not only achieve your New Year’s resolutions but all of the goals that you want to achieve!
Be SMART about it
A New Year's resolution is a goal that you're trying to achieve in the next year. But are you being SMART about it? Is it specific? Measurable? Achievable? Realistic? Time-bound? A typical New Year’s resolution is “I want to lower my hemoglobin A1c in 2019”. A SMART New Year’s Resolution is “By June 30th, 2019 I would like to go out lower my A1C from 9 to 7 by working out twice a week, eliminating fried food from my diet, and taking the new cooking class for diabetics”. Making your resolution SMART helps you make action-oriented steps to actually achieve your goal. smart help you to make actionable steps to get to your goal.
Write the vision, make it plain
Since I was a medical student, I've use vision boards to propel are self into the goals that I wanted to achieve. I found that Vision ports are not only fun to make but also very useful. I’m a visual person, so having a visual reminder about what I’m hoping to accomplish helps me reduce procrastination and temptation to not follow through on my plans. Gather some old magazines, a pair of scissors, glue, and posterboard get a glue stick and get creating! When you’re finished, hang it up where you can see it daily. You can even take a picture of it and use it as the background on your phone!
Accountability partner
What good are resolutions that you can only keep to yourself? Enlisting an accountability partner or coach is essential in any goal that you set. Whether it's weight loss, starting a business, lowering your hemoglobin A1c, becoming a runner, accountability partners and coaches are a powerful part of your team to help you achieve your goals. You can hire a coach or enlist a trusted friend to help you keep on track and focused! Having someone in your corner will help motivate you when you feel discouraged or tempted to not follow through on your plans.
I hope you found these tips helpful! Have a healthy, safe and amazing 2019!