Secrets
to Successful Resolutions:
Making resolutions on the eve of a new year
is a tradition as old as recorded civilization.
For the ancient Babylonians, the new year began
in the spring, and the blossoming of trees and flowers likely
inspired them to "turn over a new leaf." Though
our new year starts in the dead of winter rather than at the
onset of spring, the concept of making new year's resolutions
has remained with us.
The most popular resolution among the ancient Babylonians
was to return borrowed farm equipment.
While returning things you've borrowed is a simple way to
clear clutter from your life, most Americans make more ambitious
resolutions such as ridding their diet of junk food, kicking
the smoking habit, or starting an exercise regimen.
In fact, the most popular resolutions we make on New Year's
Eve are health-related — and with good reason. Sixty
percent of Americans die from illnesses connected to behavior
such as overeating, smoking, and lack of exercise.
If you've vowed that this is the year you're going to clean
up your act, let me give you a few tips that I've gleaned
from my research.
Keep It Simple
Don't try to make — and keep — three resolutions,
all starting at the same time.
Changing patterns of behavior is hardest at the beginning,
so why stack the odds against yourself by trying to tackle
more than one difficult change at a time? Pick one behavior
to change, and commit yourself to a set period during which
you will adhere faithfully to your plan of action.
According to some experts in the psychology of addiction,
three weeks is the average amount of time it takes to instill
a new habit, so this is a good starting goal. After three
weeks, recommit to your goal for another three weeks, or,
if you're ready, add a second goal at this time.
Frame It Positively
In a survey conducted by researchers at the University of
Washington, 84 percent of resolution makers had committed
themselves to starting or increasing a behavior such as beginning
a walking program or eating more vegetables and fruits. The
remaining 16 percent had made resolutions to stop or decrease
a behavior — quitting smoking, eating less salt, and
the like. Guess who was more likely to succeed?
Acquiring a new habit is far easier than shedding an old
one.
Embarking on a new healthy behavior is a project that is
filled with promise, whereas eradicating ingrained habits
is often a task undertaken with reluctance or even a bit of
dread. If you've tried to give up an unhealthy habit in the
past, your ambition may be colored by memories of previous
unsuccessful attempts.
Write It Down
In 1953, researchers asked students graduating
from Yale University if they had a clear set of goals that
they had written down along with a plan for achieving their
goals. Only 3 percent had such written goals. Twenty years
later, researchers interviewed these graduates again and found
that the 3 percent with written goals were happier, more successful,
and had more financial wealth than the rest of the 97 percent
combined.
Committing to your goal in writing creates a visible reminder
of the change you want to make, and it's far harder to ignore
something spelled out in black and white than to shrug off
the pinpricks of a guilty conscience. Once you've written
down your plan of action, sign it and keep a copy of it on
your refrigerator, on your nightstand, in your car, or wherever
you need to be reminded of your resolution.
Follow the Boy Scout Motto
Be prepared.
Stumbling blocks along the path to behavior change are inevitable,
but to a certain extent you can anticipate obstacles and plan
ahead to minimize their effects on your progress.
If you've decided to quit smoking, think up three strategies
to combat the urge to smoke, such as calling a friend, going
for a brisk walk, or even brushing your teeth.
If restaurants are your downfall when it comes to dieting,
check the menu before being seated at a restaurant to be sure
there are healthy low-fat options for you.
If you do stumble, don't beat yourself up. Look back on the
circumstances of your lapse with an eye to identifying what
went wrong and what you could do differently next time to
avoid another misstep.
If at First You Don't Succeed...
...Try, try again.
Each attempt to modify your behavior is one more step along
the road to successful lifestyle change.
In the University of Washington survey mentioned above,
only 40 percent of people who successfully achieved their
top resolution did so on the first attempt. A full 17 percent
required more than six attempts to reach success.
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