A new you for the new year?

What New Year’s resolutions are you planning to make for 2007? To lose weight? To stop smoking? To get a new job? The same as last year? If you are in the habit of writing down your resolutions only to find you've broken them before breakfast on January 1st then follow these simple steps and make 2007 a real success:

• Set only a few resolutions, no more than 3 as this will give you the opportunity to focus properly on what is important. If you want you can set yourself some spring resolutions or summer resolutions if you have achieved all your new year ones. That way, you won't have to wait till 2008 to get on with the rest just because they weren't on your list in January.
• Turn your resolutions into SMART goals. This means Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timed. So instead of saying “I am going to lose weight this year” say “I am going to lose 1 stone in weight, by March 30th, at a rate of 1 lb per week.”
• Write your goal(s) down 'as if now'. Spend some time thinking about how it will be to have achieved your goal. Write yourself a letter from the future, as if you have achieved what you set out to do. Tell yourself exactly where you are, what you are doing, who is with you, how you are feeling, who you are talking to, include anything that is important to the achievement of the goal and remember to include the date.
• Make a scrap book, or collage. Collect pictures appropriate to your goal and make yourself a collage or scrap book to look at regularly and remind yourself of what you want to do and why. Stick pictures on your fridge or on your mirror and make sure you look at them regularly.
• Use your imagination. Based on your letter and your collage, imagine achieving your goal, play the scenario in your mind like a movie that you are watching and enjoy seeing yourself achieve what you set out to do. Practice this regularly, it is a great motivator.
• Make a plan. Look at where you are now and where you want to be with regards to your goal and consider all the steps you need to take to get from here to there. Plan out how you will achieve each of the steps and remember to include dates to show when each item should be done by. Review your plan regularly, have the dates clearly marked in your diary or on your calendar and instead of waiting until you should have done something to review it, review it in advance to make sure you will.
• Talk positively. Review your plan, is there anything on there that you think you can't do or won't do? Make a note of each item and then write out the opposite saying that you can do it and that you will do it and write down why you can do it and why you will do it. Repeat these sentences to yourself several times daily, you'll be amazed at how quickly you believe them!

And remember, just because you didn't achieve your resolutions in the past that is no reason not to achieve them now and a resolution is not just for Christmas (or the New Year) it’s for life, for the life you want, so if you do find yourself lighting up a cigarette when you should have stopped, put it out again.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Sarah Pineger