Tips for Keeping your Resolutions in 2013

The New Year is a fantastic time to make changes in your life. If you’ve been thinking about losing weight, changing bad habits or adding a positive routine, the transition into a new calendar year is a great opportunity to transition into a new lifestyle. Even if you’ve failed at keeping resolutions in the past, 2013 is different. This year, you can achieve your goals.

Although 60 percent of Americans set New Year’s Resolutions, only 8 percent always achieve their resolutions. Even worse, almost 25 percent of people have never completed a resolution. If you’re one of those 25 percent of Americans, it’s okay. This is the year that you will successfully complete a resolution, because you’re going to have the strategy you need.

The most important tip for completing your resolution is to not focus on numbers. That may see counterintuitive when you’re constantly told to lose 10 pounds, earn a 5 percent raise or spend an extra hour a week with your family, but strict numerical goals are setting yourself up for failure. Instead, focus on ways to modify your habits. Think about switching from soda to water, never being tardy to work or finding a hobby for the whole family. You can’t control your metabolism or your boss’s criteria for raises, but you can control your behavior. You’ll be much happier with a resolution that relies on yourself, not external factors.

Second, create a support group to help you keep your resolution. If you want to be healthier, find friends or coworkers who will form a walking group with you. Ask your roommates or family to help you leave for work on time. Feeling accountable to other people will help you succeed, and your social network can motivate you when you’re at a low point.

You can find a new you this New Year. Keep a positive attitude, and from now on you’ll be one of the 8 percent of Americans who always achieves their resolutions.

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