{"id":2611,"date":"2023-05-02T13:40:21","date_gmt":"2023-05-02T13:40:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anitasanz.com\/?p=2611"},"modified":"2025-04-10T00:04:48","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T00:04:48","slug":"how-to-make-your-new-years-resolutions-stick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anitasanz.com\/wp-dev\/how-to-make-your-new-years-resolutions-stick\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Make Your New Year\u2019s Resolutions Stick!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Not everyone makes New Year\u2019s Resolutions\u2026 there are some people who don\u2019t see the new year as a time for reinvention, recharging, reconditioning, reenergizing, reinvigorating, and reorganizing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s just January. But if you\u2019re one of those people who have made a resolution to change something in 2024\u2026 and, by the way, if you are<\/em> one of those people\u2026 you are TEN TIMES MORE LIKELY to make a significant improvement in your life this year\u2026 then this post may help you to do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FROM GOOD INTENTIONS TO REALITY<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

We all have good intentions to change, and we can easily set goals. As with almost everything in life, it\u2019s the follow-through that is hard. If you want to improve your chances of seeing your good intentions actually bear fruit in the coming year, then here are 3 things you should seriously consider doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 A New Year\u2019s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.  ~Author Unknown<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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#1:  GET REAL<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

You heard me. If your New Year\u2019s Resolutions include losing 100 pounds, relocating to Seattle, finding a new career, and getting married then you are on a path to failure, burnout, insanity, or worse. (Is there worse?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to be really successful with something, pick the most important thing<\/strong> on your list you want to do and focus on that\u2026 and only on that\u2026 until you\u2019ve done it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then if it\u2019s April and you\u2019ve already relocated to Seattle happily, then you can get to work on that healthy lifestyle change. Wouldn\u2019t you rather have one awesome goal achieved by 2024 than 5 or 6 failed intentions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2:  CARROTS AND STICKS<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

You need to use carrots (not real ones) to accomplish your goals: Your goal is to walk for 20 minutes every day, and you put a big \ud83d\ude42 on your calendar on the days you actually do it. If you have 5 out of 7 days on your calendar that week with \ud83d\ude42  on it, then you get to (fill in the blank).  Nice carrot!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You reward yourself until the health and physical benefits of walking 20 minutes every day kick in and become their own reward and motivation for you to continue. Want to make this even more effective?  Add a stick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A stick is a consequence you will enforce with yourself if you don\u2019t get those 5  \ud83d\ude42  on your calendar\u2026make it something you dread even more than getting out there walking\u2026 like having to go through all your files for tax season.  Ugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3:  QUARTERLY \u201cMEETING OF THE BOARD\u201d<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Everyone I know who goes to a gym regularly dreads January and can\u2019t wait until the end of March\u2026know why? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because everyone with all the good intentions to hit the gym every week start in January and fizzle out by the end of March. If you don\u2019t want to \u201cfizzle out\u201d, then you\u2019re going to have to have your eye on the ball come April 1. Decide now\u2026write it on your calendar\u2026 to have quarterly \u201cboard meetings\u201d with yourself to evaluate how well you are doing with your good intentions and your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 1st, July 1st, October 1st, and December 31st are good days to sit down and keep yourself honest. Are you doing what you said you were going to do? If not, why not?  What do you need to fix, change, ditch, do instead?  Making quarterly adjustments works better than fizzling out in March and feeling like \u201cthere just went another year of New Year\u2019s Resolutions down the drain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCHEERS TO A NEW YEAR AND ANOTHER CHANCE FOR US TO GET IT RIGHT.\u201d<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

I leave you with this quote by Oprah Winfrey, because I too believe that with every new day, we have another chance to learn more, do better, and \u201cget it right\u201d\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever that may mean for you in this New Year!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dr<\/em>.\u00a0Anita Sanz<\/em>, PhD, Psychologist<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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