NEW MONTH'S RESOLUTION - 1

It is a common experience for people to aspire to take stock of their lives at the beginning of a new year. After this comes pledges to do better which mostly come in the form of resolutions as they desire self improvement. Unfortunately, not a lot of people consider the importance of making resolutions for a new month. 


Faux pas
People fail to achieve the resolutions they set out for themselves for a number of reasons. One of such is that they set unrealistic goals which cannot be achieved within a specified time frame. Also, setting too many goals and procrastination is bound to be a clog in the wheel of achieving the desired resolutions. On the other hand, some people fail to keep track of their progress while some simply forget the resolutions they made at the beginning of the year simply because of the passage of time.


Modus operandi
Given the relative embarrassment that comes with failing to achieve set goals at the end of a specific period, it becomes pertinent for resolutions to be set at the beginning of every month. This makes it more realistic and achievable even as the chances of following through  with them is higher as resolutions will be fewer and easier to remember. Making resolutions at the start of every month also helps you avoid procrastination because you know you've just got a month to improve on a particular aspect of your life you. Psychologists say we are more likely to succeed if we break our resolution into smaller goals that are specific, measurable and time-based.

Here are tips to achieving a new months resoution;

1. Make only one resolution per month- Your chances of success are greater when you channel energy into changing just one aspect of your behaviour.
2. Don’t wait till the end of the month before making your resolution for the next month instead at the middle of the month take time to reflect upon resolution made previously if it was achieved and new resolutions to be made in the next month
3. Avoid procrastination, don't postpone tomorrow what you can do today
4. Don’t run with the crowd and go with the usual resolutions. Instead think about what you really want out of life.
5. Break your goal into a series of steps, focusing on creating sub-goals that are concrete, measurable and time-based.
6. Tell your friends and family about your Goals as this will likely put you in check and help you avoild failure
7. Regularly remind yourself of the benefits associated with achieving your goals by creating a checklist of how life would be better once you obtain your aim.
8. Give yourself a small reward whenever you achieve a sub-goal, thus maintaining motivation and a sense of progress.
9. Make your plans and progress concrete by keeping a handwritten journal Where you note down progress made
10. Expect to revert to your old habits from time to time. Treat any failure as a temporary setback rather than a reason to give up altogether. (courtesy Prof Richard wiseman)