Yes, it's that time of year again—the time when we feel like we need to start over and mistakenly believe that a clean slate could magically grant us the resolve and fortitude we need to find our true selves!
Most people believe that the first day of the year is the perfect time to kick off a new phase in your life and make those very important decisions. However, it is also among the least favorable times to make major changes in your habits because it’s usually a hectic period.
Steps to Making Decisions and Sticking to Them
Don't start the year off with big, unmaintainable changes that will only set you up for failure. Instead, follow these seven steps to make sound decisions that you can stick to at any time—not only at the beginning of the year, mind you:
1. Choose One Thing at a Time
If you want to change your life or routine, don't try to do it all at once; it won't work. Instead, start by making a change in one aspect of your life.
Choose something tangible to pinpoint exactly the change you want to make. After a month or so, if the first change goes well, you can proceed to make another one. These small changes, one after the other, will give you the chance to be a new person by the end of the year, and this approach is more effective and realistic than any other.
Don't make unfeasible decisions, like running a marathon, if you're overweight and find yourself out of breath climbing stairs. If so, start by walking every day. Once you've established the habit, you can start jogging in short bursts, work up to continuous sprinting, and eventually participate in marathons. So, ask yourself about the habit you would most like to break.
2. Plan for the Future
You must plan ahead and do some research on the change you're making to have the resources available when you need them and ensure success. So, the following measures are necessary to get all your systems geared up and ready for the change:
Read up on future planning; go to the library and get books on the topic, whether it's quitting smoking, jogging, yoga, or becoming a vegetarian—some books help you get ready, or you can do some research online. And when you've done enough research, you should look forward to making the change.
Plan for your success and prepare everything so things go smoothly, and if you want to run, make sure you have the right footwear, clothes, cap, glasses, and headphones with upbeat and vibrant sounds, so you have no excuses.
3. Expect to Encounter a Few Problems
You will inevitably run into problems, so make a list of potential ones. If you give it some thought, you can predict when issues will develop with certain people or in certain scenarios at certain times of the day. Once you've noted those times, try to formulate solutions for when they eventually come up.
4. Set a Start Date
You don't have to make these changes on the first day of the New Year; if you’re serious about changing, pick a day when you know you'll feel confident, upbeat, and surrounded by supportive people. You'll know when the time is right because sometimes, picking a date doesn't work out. Instead, wait until your body and mind are all set to take on the challenge.
5. Write Down Your Goal
Seize the chance, commit, and write it down on a card for future reference. All you need to do is write a brief statement that you may keep in your wallet, in your car, or beside your bed to get a daily dose of positive reinforcement.
Jot down something along the lines of:
- "I will enjoy a healthy, smoke-free life."
- "I will keep my cool and control myself even when I'm stressed."
- "I will dedicate myself to learning how to manage my own business."
- "I will practice meditation daily."
6. Accept Your Failure
If you fail and end up smoking a cigarette, skipping your walk, or yelling at your kids one morning, don't feel bad about yourself. Instead, pinpoint the triggers behind this setback and resolve to take a lesson from it.
Give up your cup of coffee if you know it causes you to crave cigarettes and messes with your sleep. If you know that rushing to get ready for school in the morning leaves you fuming, get up early, or get set the night before to make things easy for yourself.
Perseverance is the key to success, so don't give up and keep trying till you succeed.
7. Set Up a Reward System
Small rewards are a big incentive to keep going during the tough first days. After that, you can indulge yourself once a week in something delightful, like a magazine, a chat with a supportive friend, a nap, a movie night, or anything else you enjoy.
Later on, you can switch your rewards from weekly to monthly, and at the end of the year, you can pick a once-a-year reward that you have been looking forward to, that you deserve, and that you will get because you've been doing your best.
Whatever your plans and goals are, we wish you good luck, but always remember that you are the architect of your luck and that you control your life trajectory. Thus, decide what you want, make a plan, and then take decisive action to attain it, and you'll get it.
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