How to decide and keep your New Year resolution
Author: Frank Personal development
Author: Frank Personal development
Balancing quantitative and qualitative goals Success starts with proper planning. When set our new year resolutions, we should balance broad benefits with precise goals as outlined on
http://www.amareway.org Example: our resolution is to eat healthy, so we define what we mean with healthy. Otherwise, it is not easy to tell if we are respecting our decision. At the same time, even if we decide that eating healthy for 2010 means eating organic at least three times per week, but then once per week we eat junk food, than we can achieve the specific measurable goal, but not the overall benefits. Have a daily, friendly reminder of our goal There are sites like
http://www.amareway.org offering daily inspirational quotes and pictures. While we are still in charge of the success of our new year resolution, these kind of sites are helpful in supporting us and reminding us in a friendly manner about our vision and goals. Having specific goals Shouldn't we focusing on one goal per year? 100%? Well, if we want to become a skating champion, earn a PhD in Physics and start a restaurant, then yes: we definitely have to make a clear choice and focus on one goal. But if we are taking mutually reinforcing commitments or at least realistically compatible (ex.: eating healthy, taking a class on Raw Foods, supporting local farmers, having at least two lunch meals per week with a friend instead of rushing in and out from work, etc.), then a... holistic approach to new year improvements is a winning approach. Setting milestones along the way Some goals are better if implemented all the way at once. For example, if we want to meditate for 10 minutes before going to sleep, we are better off with starting it from Jan. 1st and stick to it every night, otherwise we'll be wondering: "on which days did I say I was gonna start meditating?". Others, are more feasible when divided in smaller steps, because they are more a marathon than a sprint. Our new year resolution may be living in a more holistically way. We can break it down in specific goal(s):
Aware (Being): when we feel emotional about a topic, dedicate at least five seconds to breathing, becoming aware of our feelings and also trying to understand others'
Meditating: meditate for 10 minutes each night before going to sleep
Active (Being): walk at least 30 minutes, at least 3 times per week
Respectful (Being): stop using some words we identified as inappropriate, and visit a senior relative at least twice per month
Eating (properly): eat organic at least 3 days per week, and limit unhealthy food to no more than two meals per month.
Plan rewards and a plan B for sporadic deviation from original goal We successfully kept our resolution. Let's celebrate it! And let's try to do it with one of the people who supported us. And, if they are far, we can always have them on Webcam while we enjoy our reward, if possible. We can keep bigger rewards - like a day at the Spa - for the end of the year, and start with some smaller rewards for the first months.
There are times when we may really have to make an exception. Still, we keep it to a minimum, and have a way to compensate for this: if, once or twice per quarter, we need to break our resolution, than as soon as possible we are going to have a long walk. If we really cannot meditate this night, we'll do it in the morning and then restart regular practice. It is important to have a way to allow ourselves a small exception, as long as it costs us some reparation. These deviations must be kept to a minimum, and they don't mean we should give up to non-positive peer-pressure. If our resolution involves intoxicating substances, there should be no exception to our resolution: if we want to quit drinking, and already achieved the time of the year when our drinking allowance should be 0, we stick to it. So we ensure to keep the habit away. People who care for us will understand.
Sharing our goals with other people, ideally 8 or so We suggest to share our resolutions with 8 people, roughly divided as 3 family members, 3 close friends, 2 people with whom we connect well but see only a few times per week, like at the gym etc. Usually, the more public we are about our commitment, the more determined we are in keeping it because, well, we may be tempted to take a holiday from our goals, but we care about these 8 people think about us and so we'll go the extra mile (literally, if our commitment is to run regularly) to live up to our words. Even better if some of these 8 people are willing to share their own resolution with us, or if they have some experience dealing with a similar situation themselves. But, at the end, the most important part if that they care about us and will be there to support us once the initial enthusiasm is not as strong as before.About the Author:
http://www.amareway.org is an Italian verb, meaning To Love. It also summarizes what we need to be happy:
Aware (Being)
Meditating
Active (Being)
Respectful (Being)
Eating (properly)
If we want to digg a bit more under the surface, it also shows we are united in an interconnected universe: there is no (I) Am without (We) are. This is an extremely simple concept to understand, but which has positive effects for a lifetime. If you want to walk this path toward holistic living, just add this blog to your favourites. If you just passed by, and you think youll not return, we hope at least youll bring with you these simple five steps to happiness, and we hope they will be as beneficial to you as they have been to us.
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