Yes...that time of year is upon us again. The time of the year that we've been conditioned since we were kids to make pacts with ourselves to change something about our personalities or physical traits. A sort of lent-equse promise if you will (although slightly less religious). And its probably safe to say that most of these resolutions involve weight loss in some way; eating healthier, exercising more, stressing less, etc.
What does this mean for those of us who have made these resolutions year after year? Well it could mean the final straw that cements the idea in our heads for good. But if you're like me, it means another enormous goal that will take months to accomplish. A goal that is really hard to see instant results (and we who live in a world of instant gratification tend to get frustrated).
So what do I plan to do about this? Well...first I'll make the long ranging goal. I want to lose "X" amount of weight and want to start eating healthier. I think this part is very important because I know what I'm aiming for. Second, I'll make weekly or monthly goals, depending on what I have going on that month or week. Example...I have a long week coming up at work (on 7 days and off 4 days). With this in mind, I'll probably make two goals. The first will be to just generally choose better foods to eat this next week. I'll go slow, making better choices little by little, meal by meal. The exercise goal will be to go out and run more within the next month.
Why make little goals on the way to a larger one? Simple. It's easier to stay on track when you feel a sense of accomplishment. With one big goal, you're not going to accomplish anything for several months. That sets any goal seeker up for disaster. Too many things and too much time go by and it can feel like you're making no progress. Thus, little goals on the way to the bigger picture can help you feel like you're making progress and keep you on track.
So I guess the moral of the story is...make one large resolution with several smaller resolutions to build on. This can be a successful plan, right? Well I'm gonna see and hopefully I'll have a good report in a month or two!
