Are you making a resolution this year? Do you want to lose weight, gain a new skill or organize your house? Whatever your resolution is, here are some tips to help you stick to it throughout the year.
1. Make it attainable. Be sure that your resolution is reasonable. Sticking to your monthly budget is attainable—making a million dollars may not be.
2. Tell everyone. If you tell everyone about your resolution, you are more likely to keep it. If you want to quit smoking, you can even go as far as telling your friends that you'll give them $50 if they catch you lighting up.
3. Be specific. If you want to get fit in the new year, set a specific goal. For example, instead of saying you want to get fit, say you want to lose 10 pounds and tone your arms and legs.
4. Start small. Create small goals for yourself. If you want to organize your house, assign one room to each month. In January, organize your kitchen. In February, organize your bedroom. In March, organize your office. In April, organize your garage, and so on.
5. Write it down. It's important to motivate yourself throughout the year. Write your resolution down on every month in your calendar. Don't let yourself forget about your resolution as the year goes on.
What are your New Year's resolutions? Which ones did you make (and keep) this year? Share in the comments below.
It seems people whom I have trained have goals that aren't detailed or realistic -"I want to get in shape." How are you going to get in shape? Something like this might be better: join a gym, go once a week the first month, twice a week the second, thrice the third month, etc. If you can get more detailed for each week or what you will do at the gym, then even better. Often times I suggest a personal trainer or a group fitness class to help guide someone just starting out on correct form. In karate, the colored belts before black are great short term goals to the long term goal of a black belt that cam take years depending on the style of karate or martial art. After Shodan, it can take years before one can test for the next rank: 2 years for the 2nd level (Nidan), 3 years for the 3rd level (Sandan), etc.and there is no guarantee yo will pass; just the opportunity to test, or audition for your new rank, called Shinsa.