It turns out that few of us in Pennsylvania are as unique as we might like to think. Each New Year's Day, the common longings that unite us all come to the surface in the form of our resolutions, many of which are identical from one person to the next. How many of the top ten most common New Year's resolutions sound familiar to you?
- Eat healthy and exercise more
- Drink less alcohol
- Learn something new
- Quit smoking
- Balance work and life better
- Volunteer
- Save money
- Get more organized
- Read more
- Finish home improvement to-do lists
How many of these resolutions have you made in the past and are making again this year because they didn't quite "take" the first (or second or sixth) time? According to a study conducted by the University of Scranton, a mere eight percent of people achieve the goals they set for themselves on January 1st. Want to know the secrets of successfully realizing your New Year's resolutions? Here are a few:
- Keep it simple. Don't overwhelm yourself. Rather than create a laundry list of resolutions, pinpoint just one or two goals that you'd like to achieve. When you do so, your confidence level will be so great that you'll be able to achieve the next couple of goals on your list next year.
- Be specific. A goal to "lose some weight" is far too nebulous. A goal to lose "10 pounds" is concrete, and gives your mind something actual to focus on. Apply this specificity to all of your goals. Rather than "spend more time with my spouse," plan to "have two date nights each month with my spouse."
- Go public. Share your goals with others-posting them on Facebook isn't a bad idea-so that you'll feel more motivated to accomplish them. A healthy bit of pride can go a long way in helping us to meet our goals; we don't want to look like slackers in front of our friends, after all. So don't be shy: announce your resolutions, and look forward to the day within the next 12 months when you can post or tweet the happy news that you achieved them!
- Don't stop believing. Everything starts with your mind. "As you think, so shall you become," said the great Bruce Lee. Enough said.
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