This past week we have just observed Thanksgiving, a time to reflect back on our many blessings. Coming up next is Christmas which symbolizes love, joy and hope. Finally the holiday season culminates with New Year’s, a time for celebrating a new beginning and resolving to improve ourselves.
Unfortunately, statistics tell us that success rates for New Year’s resolutions can run only from 8% to 27% during any given year. On top of that, 24% of people report having never been able to keep a resolution at all. For those in recovery, New Year’s resolutions can be a great starting point for committing to new changes. So what are some great strategies for beating the odds and starting a new change?
First, we want to clearly define our goal. Saying “I want to lose weight and get in shape” is vague and really doesn’t provide knowing when you’re on track. “I want to lose 20 pounds and ride my bicycle for half an hour four times a week” is a well defined set of objectives that can be easily tracked over time. We can tell if we’re moving towards our goal and how much further we have to go to reach it.
Second, the goal must be realistic. Spending less and saving 25% of our paycheck may sound great, but for most people this would simply be an impossible task. A more realistic commitment would be to save a specific dollar amount that is written into your budget. Our goal in this step is to develop a new way of living that is sustainable. Setting a goal that is clearly out of reach sets us up for failure and a sense of incompetence. Keeping the goal reasonable allows us to experience success which provides the motivation to work harder.
Finally: Beware the What the Hell Effect! This is also known as counterregulatory behavior, where a person fails at a goal and subsequently gives up altogether. The name comes from people who have missed their goal saying “what the hell” and falling right back into their old behavior. The best intervention in these circumstances is to say “I deserve better” and then calling someone for support.
So why talk about New Year’s resolutions three days after Thanksgiving? Simply this: To be successful we must be prepared. If we want a clearly defined goal that are realistic and we want an effective strategy for when things go wrong we need some prep time. Having a whole month to ready ourselves gives us a tremendous advantage when the ball drops in Times Square and it becomes 2015.
John
Unfortunately, statistics tell us that success rates for New Year’s resolutions can run only from 8% to 27% during any given year. On top of that, 24% of people report having never been able to keep a resolution at all. For those in recovery, New Year’s resolutions can be a great starting point for committing to new changes. So what are some great strategies for beating the odds and starting a new change?
First, we want to clearly define our goal. Saying “I want to lose weight and get in shape” is vague and really doesn’t provide knowing when you’re on track. “I want to lose 20 pounds and ride my bicycle for half an hour four times a week” is a well defined set of objectives that can be easily tracked over time. We can tell if we’re moving towards our goal and how much further we have to go to reach it.
Second, the goal must be realistic. Spending less and saving 25% of our paycheck may sound great, but for most people this would simply be an impossible task. A more realistic commitment would be to save a specific dollar amount that is written into your budget. Our goal in this step is to develop a new way of living that is sustainable. Setting a goal that is clearly out of reach sets us up for failure and a sense of incompetence. Keeping the goal reasonable allows us to experience success which provides the motivation to work harder.
Finally: Beware the What the Hell Effect! This is also known as counterregulatory behavior, where a person fails at a goal and subsequently gives up altogether. The name comes from people who have missed their goal saying “what the hell” and falling right back into their old behavior. The best intervention in these circumstances is to say “I deserve better” and then calling someone for support.
So why talk about New Year’s resolutions three days after Thanksgiving? Simply this: To be successful we must be prepared. If we want a clearly defined goal that are realistic and we want an effective strategy for when things go wrong we need some prep time. Having a whole month to ready ourselves gives us a tremendous advantage when the ball drops in Times Square and it becomes 2015.
John
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