by Alison Cundiff
Resource Development Executive
I have been hearing the saying “New year, new you?” a lot the past few days in reference to making New Year’s Resolutions. I love making goals for the New Year, but it is usually pretty unrealistic to think that at the stroke of midnight you will become a completely new person, devoid of all the faults and habits of the previous year. Making and keeping goals takes time and effort. So, how can we ensure that next year at this time we can reflect back on 2012 and feel good about the progress we have made?
Write goals down. Writing our goals down gets them out of our head and onto something tangible. This way our goals are visible and can be tracked throughout the year.
Don’t get intimidated. I don’t know about you, but it is pretty daunting to me to think about changing or doing something for a whole year! But don’t look at it that way. From what I gathered from my Google search, it takes anywhere from 21-30 days to form a habit. So when thinking about your New Year’s Resolutions, don’t think about the whole year, just focus on one month. If you make it that far, it should get easier and easier from there!
Celebrate success! It is important to acknowledge when you are making progress. Keep track of your goals and don’t forget to reward yourself, even if it is just sharing your success with a friend.
