Finally Achieve Your New Year’s Resolution!

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Finally Achieve Your New Year’s Resolution!

By Janine Fitzgerald | December 20, 2011

Doesn’t it seem
like yesterday that you were making your New Year’s resolutions for 2011? Well, that time is here again. When you think about your resolutions from
last year, how successful were you?
Studies indicate that 60% of people who make resolutions do not achieve
them. Why is that you may ask? Resolutions are examples of “outcome” goals
(e.g. “I want to lose 15 pounds”). However, without the “behavioral” component
or the necessary actions, individuals are not likely to succeed. It’s very important to combine “outcome”
goals with “behavioral” actions in order to be successful.

So in regards to your health and wellness,
what is it that you envision for your future self three or six months down the
road? Through proper goal setting, you
turn your vision or intention into actions and reality. When creating a vision of you at your best
self, think about what you do want, rather than what you don’t want. So what is wellness? Wellness is a state of good physical and
mental health, particularly when maintained by quality nutrition, exercise, and
life habits. A good wellness program
should include specific strategies to manage diet, exercise, and stress.

When creating
your wellness vision, think about the following:

-
Outcomes (What do I want to achieve?)

-
Behaviors (What actions do I want to be doing
regularly?)

-
Motivators (Why is this important to me?)

-
Strengths (What talents and abilities can I use
to my advantage?)

-
Challenges (What barriers will I need to
overcome?)

-
Supports (What structures will I need in place?)

Vision statements
are best when written in the present tense, as if it is already occurring. Examples of a vision statement may be any of
the following:

-
“I am stronger and 20 pounds lighter with plenty
of energy to maintain my busy life.”

-
“I am exercising 5 days a week, managing my
stress better, and have lower cholesterol.”

-
“My increased stamina has improved my tennis, I
am eating more fruits and vegetables, and I am getting 8 hours of sleep per
night.”

Keep
in mind that motivation alone, without a specific health, wellness, or fitness
plan, typically does not lead to success.
It’s important to not only identify the particular actions and behaviors
that you want to take, but also to measure your progress against your initial
baseline. It is crucial that if want to
succeed in reaching your vision for wellness, you must have SMART goals in
place. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Action-based,
Realistic, and Time-lined. When being specific about the actions that you will take, it is also necessary to pinpoint the how and when because that will give you a timeline in which to accomplish the goal. It’s a matter of scheduling the activity as
opposed to “getting around to it” when there’s time. Be sure that your goals are measurable, so you will know when
success has been achieved. Lastly, realistic goal setting is essential to
increase the odds for success. Having
quick, small wins will enable you to continue to move forward. Setting unrealistic goals, however, hinders
one’s self-efficacy and self-esteem