We started 2018 and with a new year come new goals, new challenges, new resolutions, or will you be dragging resolutions of years ago? Every year that starts, it is common to say phrases like:

• This year I will lose weight
• This year I will study
• This year I will look for that promotion at work
• This year I will spend more time with my family
• This year I will start my business

And so you can follow the list and most likely come dragging goals of several years ago. Today I want to give you some tips to write your new year resolutions but more than write them, help you to fulfill them so this can be the best year of your life!

How to create your New Year’s resolutions?

To begin, before writing your resolutions, take a moment to analyze and see what you have achieved so far, not only in 2017 but throughout your life. You probably find more negative things than positive but stop focusing on the bad things that happened and focus on all the good things you’ve achieved, whether it’s finishing college, winning that course that was a headache, having a good relationship with your wife or girlfriend, or simply having a roof over your head, food in your home, health, etc. It is time to be grateful for everything, even with problems, illnesses, or any hard situation that you have gone through, you have to be like Job from the bible, who says, will I accept God’s good only? A grateful person will more easily achieve their proposed goals, because they will value even the smallest things.

Once this analysis is done, ask yourself the following question: What had to have happened in this year 2018 so that in January of 2019 you say, 2018 was the best year of my life? Maybe a promotion at work, or start your own company, or grow your business, or spend more time with your children and enjoy them to the fullest, or know that place you’ve always wanted to go, or have lost 50 pounds . This is according to what you are looking for, I can not tell you what is best for you, this only you can define it, and do not let anyone decide for you, you are the only one who can let others affect you, you have the decision to be happy !!

With this in mind, grab a pen and paper, or open a notepad on the computer or use the notes app on the phone, what works best for you and start describing each of the answers you gave for the question in the previous paragraph, but do not write just one line like:

• Lose weight
• Spend time with my children

You should define the answer and look for the “Why” That would make your 2018 the best of your life. Take some time and ask yourself the question Why? to each answer you give at least 5 times. For example, if one of the answers is to lose weight, the process of “Why?”  would look like this:

• First – Why do I want to lose weight ?: Because I want to look good and be healthy
• Second –  Why do I want to look good and be healthy ?: Because that way I will feel more secure about myself
• Third – Why do I want to feel more secure about myself ?: Because that way I can socialize in a better way and feel comfortable with other people regarding my body.
• Fourth – Why do I want to socialize in a better way and feel comfortable with other people ?: So that I am not ashamed to talk in public
• Fifth – Why do not I want to embarrass myself in public ?: Because when I was little I was bothered by being chubby and this caused many insecurities in me and I do not want to feel that way anymore

And so you can keep asking yourself questions until you come to the real reason why you want something, and that “why” is the one that motivates you to work on your goal until you reach it, and every time you think about giving up or leaving that goal aside , you have to remember that “why” and keep going.

Once you find your “Why?” Make sure you write it in your new year resolution, and do it with each of your resolutions.

I have my resolutions, now what?

Once you have defined your resolutions, now is the time to define an action plan. A resolution without a plan remains in empty words on a piece of paper. Start to perform an analysis of what you have to do to meet the goal and start writing the steps with a short description. Make sure that each of the steps are realistic, if we continue with the resolution of losing weight, the steps would look similar to these:

• Perform a daily exercise routine of at least 30 minutes
• Change my eating habits: Reduce the amount of junk food I eat.
• Search for a nutritionist: Create an adequate diet plan.

And once you have defined steps, you can start to shed them and create a list of what you will do day by day, for example:

• Create a schedule in my calendar with at least 30 minute routines for each day of the week
• Eat 5 times a day, Breakfast at 7am, Refresh at 10am, Lunch at 12:30 pm, Refresh at 3pm, Dinner at 6:30 p.m.
• Meals must be non-junk food, must include fruits and vegetables and in appropriate portions.
• Going with the nutritionist to create a food plan and / or follow-up
• Buy sports equipment

And so I can continue to detail what actions you can do daily. Once you have your resolution with the plan, establish small goals for each of the steps, for example, if one of the points is to find a nutritionist, then put a deadline to find one and go to your first session. Again Remember to set realistic goals that you know you can fulfill.

Once you have the plan ready, print it and have it handy, take advantage of technology, create reminders in your calendar, configure alarms, etc.

Celebrate achievements

Once you have small goals defined for your major goal, be sure to give yourself a reward each time you achieve each of those mini goals. For example, if in the week you managed to maintain your eating habits, it is valid that on the weekend you give you a small reward, without abuse.

Do not be discouraged

It is very common that after a few days of taking action to fulfill one of the goals, you get discouraged, since you feel that you do not see significant progress, and that is why it is important to establish small realistic goals, so that your brain feels that it is making progress.

Something that has worked for me in an excellent way is to use checklists, there are a lot of applications in the market that you can use, in my case I use mac Reminders, and it feels very good once you put the check to the tasks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember that perseverance in these small actions will help you achieve consistency and big goals.