Ask the Anytime Gal: Start small, set end date and find support system

It’s said that nearly 38 percent of Americans will set a health-related New Year’s resolution this January. That may even be on the low end, as it seems our world is more health conscious than ever. When it comes to setting a resolution, most people shoot for the moon. It’s easy to dream big when the promise of a new year and a fresh chance await us. However, it’s also said that of those that make a New Year’s resolution, only a measly 8 percent will actually follow through with that goal. 

So, why is that? I’ve seen a lot of New Year’s resolutions over the years. I’ve seen a good number of people fail, but I also have seen some great successes, too. In my opinion, the key to a successful New Year’s resolution will always be “less is more”. 

The biggest reason people fail to stick with their resolution is that it tends to be overly ambitious. Making a huge change in your life so quickly can be difficult to keep. The initial excitement of your goal can be quickly derailed when you realize just how challenging it might be. For instance, cutting pop cold turkey sounds like a great idea when you have a start date in mind (Jan. 1) and you’re ready to make that lifestyle change. However, if that goal is too large, we struggle when it comes to changing our daily habits. This leads us to become discouraged and ultimately, we fall back into our previous routine and give up altogether. So, my suggestion would be to focus on making small changes. Look at your current routine and decide what areas you would like to focus on. Perhaps, instead of giving up pop altogether, you decide to limit yourself to one every other day. Hopefully, this will eventually dwindle to one on the weekends and then rarely, if ever. Making small lifestyle changes (with no end date in mind) helps your brain to understand that you are making a long-term change. 

Another reason that resolutions fail is because we have a very clear start date but we often don’t have an end date. You need a way to track your progress and see if you are on track with your end goal. My recommendation would be to set small goals every 6-8 weeks. It is much more motivating to hit a small goal, celebrate it, and set a new goal than it is to set one huge goal, become bored with it because you haven’t seen the progress you’re looking for, and give up by mid-February. 

With all of my clients, I like to have them set a goal that is “Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time Based.” This is the SMART goal setting system and it’s been proven to be successful. For instance, instead of having a broad goal of “I want to lose weight” consider using the SMART system to define it better. Upon reflecting, you may decide a better goal would be “I want to lose five pounds in six weeks”. This gives you a measurable amount of weight and an end date in which you will be able to see if you achieved it or not. 

Lastly, who will hold you accountable to your goal? As humans, we need to have a support system in place. As children, we have an army of support. Parents, teachers, and coaches are just a few important people that reminded us of our goals and cheered us on along the way. As we age, we find that our support group grows smaller. While we hopefully still have family and a good group of friends, they often are not as focused on helping us stay accountable to our goals. It is important that you reach out and find that person that can help provide support. If you are setting a health related goal, a gym, personal trainer or health coach can be a great place to look. If you have a financial goal this year, find a financial planner you can trust. If you want to volunteer more, find a group or organization that can put you to work each month. There are all kinds of great local resources. Don’t be afraid to use them! 

I wish you all the best of luck as you think about you want to accomplish in 2018. A few reminders: start small, set an end date, and find your support system. You can do it!