Trying to keep your resolutions

You have probably already made your New Year’s resolutions. If you’re still thinking about them, you may want to read some statistics about successful resolutions.

According to research performed at the University of Scranton and published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, 45 per cent of people usually make New Year’s resolutions, while 17 per cent infrequently make them.

The first resolution is to lose weight, the fifth resolution is to stay fit and healthy. As this is a health column, these are the two resolutions I am most interested in and, despite these statistics, only eight per cent of people are successful in achieving their goals.

In addition, 24 per cent never succeed or fail to achieve their New Year’s resolutions. The statistic for people who infrequently succeed in their resolutions is 49 per cent (J. Clin. Psychol., 2002).

This picture could be quite demotivating, considering that more than three-quarters of everyone who makes a New Year’s resolution is likely to fail, so why bother at all?

Alternatively, don’t forget that people who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t make them. This means that setting goals to achieve in the coming year is definitely a good way to give yourself a headstart towards actually achieving what you desire.

As health and fitness features in two of the top five resolutions in the study referred to, it is worth considering what makes people stick to their goals.

John Norcross, a clinical psychologist described as ‘the undisputed authority on New Year resolutions (yes there is one), points out that people who make resolutions are still 10 times more likely to change their behaviour than people who just don’t bother (Monitor on Pyschology, 2004).

“Resolutions deserve a little more respect. These people are taking on serious health problems, and many of them succeed,” he points out.

It was Norcross who found out, following regular telephone interviews over six months by his research team, that losing weight was always the number one resolution every single year. Additionally, staying fit and healthy, planning exercise and stopping smoking were high up on the list.

Norcross followed the participants of the telephone interview study and two years later discovered that just eight per cent had achieved their goal and were sticking to it, while 49 per cent had ‘infrequent success’ and 24 per cent had never succeeded despite making resolutions every year.

The question is, what makes the small minority succeed? It is interesting to hear Norcross’s theory. He believes it is down to a number of factors, one of the most important being to set up a system of rewarding new behaviours and not giving up if you suffer a setback. These beliefs will help you achieve your goals.

It also depends on how determined you are to make the changes you have set yourself. A good support team around you is vital to your success, so tell people, tell your friends and family and ask for support. Finally, always keep the initial inspiration in mind, the inspiration for making your choice of resolution in the first place.

If you put some thought into the selection of your resolution, you have more chance of success. Perhaps those who fail just pick a resolution out of thin air without considering how this is going to fit into their lifestyles and how it will even succeed.

Try the question: “Who am I?” It seems like a rather irrelevant one. However, without a clear sense of identity, it could be impossible to create a map to take you where you want to go. Therefore, your initial action is to sit somewhere quiet and reflect some of these questions:

• What do you need to feel safe?

• What are you naturally gifted with as a person, i.e. creative, inspiring, a capacity to love, nurture, to lead?

• What makes you feel loved?

• What is your relationship with nature?

• What do you feel about yourself, e.g. do you love yourself? Your body?

• Do you enjoy your own company?

These questions may be quite difficult for those people who cannot look at themselves and admit the good and bad things about their personality. However, by asking yourself these questions, you will be able to support the choice of resolution and know whether you can succeed or not.

When planning health and fitness resolutions, there are five essential factors you need to be clear about before you begin:

1. How much time do I have to invest every day/week to achieve my health and fitness goals?

2. How much money do I have to invest each week/month to achieve my goals?

3. How much energy do I have to invest each day/week to achieve these goals?

4. What is my willingness to complete this project? Anything less than a 7/10 for willingness means your dream isn’t strong enough to carry out the work that is necessary. This is where you question your motivation.

5. What, if any, equipment, supplies and/or resources will I need?

Put these thoughts into action and I wish you well for 2015.

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