What is Your New Year's Resolution This Year? [Poll]
Do you want to exercise more, eat less, sleep more, spend more time with your children, pay off your debt? Our life coach gives advice.
How often have you made a New Year's resolution and then realized a few days later: "Oh boy, I just broke that resolution?"
I know I'm guilty of that. I'll make a resolution of going to the gym, Planet Fitness in Naugatuck, five times a week every morning. Then morning comes and I'll tell myself, nighttime will be less crowded. But then, nighttime comes and I'm too busy to go. So, I maybe get to the gym two times a week.
Bad habits are hard to break - they say it takes three weeks to get rid of a bad habit and replace it with a good one. There are years I haven't made resolutions because I'm afraid the goal will be too hard to follow through on.
This year, I interviewed life and business coach, Rich Gee, who is also a Patch blogger. He had some interesting thoughts as to why people don't meet their goals:
- Most people shoot for the moon.
- They keep them to themselves.
- They are not serious about them - too flippant.
- They don't build in triggers when they forget or stop.
- They really don't want it — they are shooting at the wrong target.
You need to advertise your goals, Gee said. "Tell everyone you know. Tweet about it," he said, adding the more people who know, the more reason you can't stop moving forward with your goal.
It's OK to make a "big resolution," but you should set up small steps to get there, Gee said. "Do you need to lose 100 pounds? Shoot for 1-2 pounds this week," he said.
Gee also said you should write down your feelings and progress on the way.
Build whatever the goal is into your schedule, he said. If you have to workout, educate yourself, spend more time with the kids — it should be sacrosanct like work, Gee said.
As for me, armed with Gee's tips and an exercise machine I ordered with points from a credit card, there should be no excuses this year.
Happy New Year everyone!
Caroline Burkat Hall
11:28 am on Sunday, January 1, 2012
After having a knee replacement in March, foot surgery in Octoberm and a knee arthroscopy 5 days ago (Dec. 28), my resolution is not to have any surgery in this new year. Hoping my body will cooperate!
Karen Ali
12:13 pm on Sunday, January 1, 2012
Sounds like a great one! Good luck with that! Happy New Year!
g
1:01 pm on Sunday, January 1, 2012
Long ago, my New Years resolution was never to make another.
It's a New Years resolution that has worked well for me, it's been kept for over 40 years.
Jaimie Cura
1:01 pm on Sunday, January 1, 2012
That's good advice - to tell supportive friends what your plans are so they can help you along. This article also reminds me of a funny quote by Dave Beard: "Many years ago, I resolved never to bother with New Year's resolutions and I've stuck with it ever since!" ;)
Estela Camacho
6:49 pm on Sunday, January 1, 2012
My New Year's resolution---sleep more. That alone may just help me in all other areas.
Craig Zac
9:00 pm on Sunday, January 1, 2012
My resolution is to break any resolution I make... this way I dont feel bad about not keeping my resolutions.
Jaimie Cura
10:26 pm on Sunday, January 1, 2012
Estela - That sounds like a great idea!
Also, to all those folks interested in eating better, New Morning Nutritionist Alison Birks' blog on foods for a healthier 2012 will be posted tomorrow, so be sure to read up on the foods that will help us be healthier!
Rich Gee
12:56 pm on Monday, January 2, 2012
Anyone else need some help with 2012 motivation? I just wrote a great post - Enjoy! http://richgee.com/2012/01/make-2012-the-best-year-ever/
Jaimie Cura
1:18 pm on Monday, January 2, 2012
Rich, thanks for posting - I always enjoy reading! Here's the link to Alison's blog I mentioned earlier, on healthy foods to add into your repertoire this year: http://woodbury-middlebury.patch.com/blog_posts/top-foods-for-a-slimmer-healthier-you-in-2012
Joe Norton
3:09 pm on Monday, January 2, 2012
Too love my wife and my family more than last year if that's possible..
Heidi
11:06 pm on Monday, January 2, 2012
To volunteer more.
JoAnn Cueva
10:58 am on Tuesday, January 3, 2012
To be ready EARLY for Christmas 2012 so I don't have to say, "I can't believe it's Christmas already!" I'm going to keep this resolution too!
Jaimie Cura
12:16 pm on Tuesday, January 3, 2012
I say that too, JoAnn! I'm also pretty sure that this year, I got presents for people throughout the year ... and then misplaced them!
Karen Ali
1:22 pm on Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Ha! What I do is buy the gifts early and then wait til the last week to wrap them!
Sandi Forman
11:29 am on Thursday, January 5, 2012
Just one? I usually make a bunch of resolutions--I guess that's why they don't last more than a couple of weeks!
kathy johnson
12:57 pm on Thursday, January 5, 2012
I always keep my new year resolution. After I turned 50 many years ago I resolved never to make any resolutions. Works great I'm always a success. Happy New Year to all.
kathy johnson
12:59 pm on Thursday, January 5, 2012
g, I just read your post. This is scary. It is beginning to sound like we think a lot alike.