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New Years Resolutions: How to be Successful

Many common New Year’s Resolutions are those that include getting more fit, typically by attending the gym more, eating less sugar, or losing weight. Even though more than 40% of people set resolutions, only about 8% actually succeed, which brings up the question of whether or not the goals people set are actually realistic. Setting achievable goals is actually much easier then one might think, but it all comes down to four things: organization, attainability, willpower and support.

When setting a resolution, one major piece of advice is to set smaller, more specific goals. For example, a common resolution is to eat healthier. This is very broad, and is difficult to attain. Instead, setting smaller, more specific goals, such as eating veggies in place of a bag of chips, can be more of a success.

Another piece of advice for setting a realistic resolution is to keep organized. When either a goal or steps toward a goal is achieved, write it down. Seeing success on paper and having it readily accessible helps self esteem and likeliness to continue on a path; it also tracks the progress made and can help a person see where he or she might be lacking in the resolution. It is also helpful to keep a list of to-do’s, that way a person cannot get lost and sidetracked by other goals.

When setting a resolution, one major piece of advice is to set smaller, more specific goals. For example, a common resolution is to eat healthier. This is very broad, and is difficult to attain. Instead, setting smaller, more specific goals, such as eating veggies in place of a bag of chips, can be more of a success.

Having the willpower to achieve the resolution is another very important part to success. If someone knows that they are not going to have the willpower to go to the gym every single day, they should set a goal that they know they will commit to. When trying to achieve the goal, a person needs to keep in mind that results do not show after the first couple trips to a gym, the willpower is necessary to keep going if the desired result isn’t achieved as fast as anticipated.

Another piece  of advice for setting and achieving a realistic goal is to develop a support system for resolutions that may be hard to achieve by oneself. Another common resolution is to quit unhealthy habits, like smoking or binge drinking. With resolutions like that, a person may need support to keep going. It would be wise for them to talk to a family member who wants to help them stay on track and reach out to another support system.  

Lastly, in order to set and achieve a realistic goal, one needs to be mindful that mistakes do happen. Although a person should strive to achieve their goal flawlessly , they should not lose hope if an accident does happen, like Hannah Montana says: “Nobody’s perfect”. After a slip-up it is important to get back on track and continue with achieving the intended goal.

When it comes to resolutions, almost everyone has one, but not everyone succeeds. Setting a resolution that is actually attainable will make a difference, and will make it easier to set and be successful this year.   

 

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Murrae is a Staff Reporter who has spent one full semester at Hawk Headlines. She loves Harry Potter, and reading for pleasure.

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