4 ways to help you achieve your new year resolution

This is the time of the year when we are in the process of introspections and retrospections and we take new resolutions.

So, what is your new year resolution this time?

1. Will you complete that book you have been trying to complete since last 6 months?
2. Will you achieve your target weight?
3. Are you in the game to start that new business, launch new product that you have been aspiring for?
4. Will you spend those 10 min peacefully in silence meditateing about you and your life?
5. Will you start learning to play that music which you ever wanted?

Every year, we do take some or other resolutions for ourself and gradually our memories and commitments fade away with time unless end of the year when we start realizing that another year is ending and we need to take fresh resolve to achieve what we ever wanted to.

What is the Solution?

If you pick the right small behavior and sequence it right, then you won’t have to motivate yourself to have it grow. It will just happen naturally, like a good seed planted in a good spot.

– BJ Fogg

Build the behaviors and habits around your resolutions

The above quote explains it best. If we just depend upon our motivation, we will not have same mood and emotions every day and we are susceptible to failures.

Instead, if we make a plan to achieve those resolutions and identify the behavioral changes we need to make in ourself, we are more likely to achieve our resolutions.

Example of my life

Let me give you one example. I want to loose weight and a good amount of weight. So I need to do daily exercises and diet controls. I know it very well. But do I follow?

Frankly speaking, Yes and No.

Whenever, I continue to follow my behavior, I am able to succeed. Every day, If I don’t have enough available time to complete my workout, and I start skipping it, my mind starts taking it granted that this workput is not important.

So , next day, I will have a higher mental barrier to cross to continue my workout.

However, if I dont skip it, my mind is trained and convinced that this is important enough. Next time it will make sure that I am giving due time to fulfill this routine of mine.

So, what is the small change I made in my behaviour? Even for a few minutes, I must complete my work out. So, mind doesn’t start taking it lightly.

Same goes with my diet schedule. The day I take this dieting granted, my mind itself starts to take it granted and without realizing I start skipping it.

So, whenever the child within my mind says, ok leave it for today, my adult mind has to wake up and tell the child, that consistency is important in developing that habit. It is better to work once on developing on that habit once in life then repenting every time we realize we missed an opportunity to improve.

Build and Follow Personal Checklist

Another important part of following through the resolutions and developing habits is continuous follow ups.

Decide upon recording the development of these behavior’s is to add it to your personal checklists and periodic reviews of your checklist to ensure you are still on track or you should do course correction.

Find a Buddy

Find and engage with the people who are having similar resolutions and share your progress and challenges with them. You both become accountable for success of each other on this path so that one is able to immediately correct the course for other, without waiting for your personal review. This can be anything even your spouse, colleague, neighbors or probably online buddy.

Help others achieve their resolutions

Though it is slightly extension of buddy concept above, it is much broader in sense that even without other person may be having similar goals but far behind in his journey from you, you can still be able to help them in achieving their goals through the knowledge and skills you know have. This will help you further refine and rethink your ways and strategies and will help you identify what area further you can work upon.

E.g. If you are already a state level champion of some activity say cricket and you have a neighbors kids aspiring to be a cricketer, you can help him plan better cricket. While you will do this, you will also realize the perspective with which the kid sees the cricket and it is likely going to become a game changer for you.