Why 2020 Will Be Different

There is a famous quote by Greg Reid that goes: A dream written down with a date becomes a goal.  A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan.  A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true.  Every year many people make New Years’ resolutions and every year many of them break those resolutions.  There are so many humorous memes circulating the internet that capture this common cycle.

 

Some of the most common resolutions people make are things like quitting smoking, getting out of debt, exercising more… But the biggest one that is often at the top of people’s list is losing weight and eating healthier.  This is what this blog post will focus on, but the tips listed can be applied to pretty much any resolution.

Write Them Down

Have you ever been to that holiday party where there are scrumptious treats and there’s always that one person who, while eating a plate full of goodies, says “I don’t feel guilty about eating this because in the New Year my resolution is to lose weight and eat better.”?  If you are in this boat and already thinking ahead to the New Year over the holidays, you will have better success if you start writing down what you want to accomplish in 2020.  Like Greg Reid said, dreams that are written down become goals.  The key is to make sure that the goals are realistic.  You are not going to lose 100 pounds by February, nor are you going to become a fitness model in 2 weeks.  If you do want to lose a certain amount of weight, break that larger number down into smaller increments and put dates on them.  A healthy pace of losing weight is 1 to 2 pounds a week – anything more than that can be dangerous and not sustainable.  Smaller goals are easier to envision, easier to accomplish and less overwhelming.

Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail

Going back to that Greg Reid quote where goals that are broken down into steps becomes a plan; if you don’t have a plan, you’re setting yourself up for failure.  If your resolution is to eat healthier or lose weight, you need to plan ahead and meal plan so that you don’t run into a situation where you make bad choices.  Planning also comes in handy if you’re trying to exercise more.  If you start scheduling your workouts, and your meals, you are headed in the right direction for success.

Sharing is Caring

Trying to accomplish your goals alone can be very daunting.  Take a few minutes and think about the people in your life that might help keep you accountable and will be your biggest cheerleaders, then share your resolutions with them.  Who knows, maybe they will be inspired by you and take on the same resolutions themselves?

Celebrate Your Successes

If you set realistic goals that are achievable in a shorter amount of time, you should totally be celebrating those victories.  This doesn’t mean that if you lose ten pounds you should praise yourself with a trip to the ice cream parlor, but maybe a cute new workout outfit or a pair of shoes would help you work harder to get to that goal.  Make the prize something that you really want, but that you won’t let yourself have until you’ve achieved that goal.

Be Patient with Yourself

Nobody is perfect and everyone makes mistakes.  Keep that in mind before you beat yourself up for any hiccups along the way in this journey.  If you happen to slip up or fall down, get right back up and keep on going.  Don’t let one little bump in the road sabotage the entire journey.  Allow it to build character, but most importantly let it teach you.  Reflect on these teaching moments and come up with strategies to help you stay on your path.

 

Making New Years’ resolutions is easy – that’s why so many people do it.  The hardest, but most rewarding thing, is to keep them and build on them.  The sense of accomplishment is such a rewarding feeling and will keep you successful in your goals.  May 2020 be your most successful year on the books!