8 Tips to Transform Your Goals into Reality
Is it really just a lack of willpower that causes resolutions to fail?
No. It takes more than motivation and willpower to carry out resolutions -- whether they're made on New Year's Eve or some other time. Most resolutions fail because support systems were not in place at the start.
Much human behavior runs on autopilot. It's an efficient tool that keeps people from having to examine every action they take. For example, they know how to drive a car. And, every once in a while, they arrive safely at their destination without being aware of what they did to get there. They've been running on autopilot.
Resolutions are simply behaviors not yet programmed into human autopilots. Until they are, people need a support system to make sure that they keep on practicing the new behavior.
8 tips to keep resolutions alive until new behaviors run on autopilot
1. Write down resolutions (goals) and the specific outcomes that accomplishing them will bring.
We've all heard that writing down goals helps firm up your commitment to those goals. But the real magic happens when you can zero in on the actual outcomes you'll get when you achieve your goal. Include in your written "outcomes" the feelings you'll have as you experience the results.
2. Set daily and weekly mini-goals, and write down your results.
Start a Results Journal. Each evening, journal the goals you've accomplished during your day and the feelings associated with those accomplishments. Do that for weekly goals, too. Ask yourself whether the results you've gotten were the ones you anticipated. Adjust your goals accordingly.
3. Create support rituals.
For example, if exercising five times each week is the goal, run through a mental checklist the night before to make sure that equipment and clothing are together in a special place. They'll be ready to go first thing in the morning.
4. Find a support buddy who is also working toward a goal.
Set up regular meetings to review each other's progress. Be generous with compliments and suggestions. Bury criticism in the backyard, and leave it there.
5. Keep rewards small and frequent.
The most effective rewards are often nothing more than a mental "pat on the back" or "attagirl." Large rewards distract from the pleasure of achieving goals. Rewards too far in the future may have little or no power to reward new behaviors.
6. Don't beat yourself up over a failure.
Self-criticism and making excuses for failure to achieve a goal do more harm than good. Far better is to plan how to avoid such failures -- and proceed.
7. Be alert for stealthy saboteurs.
Saboteurs often lurk behind the mask of kindness. Maybe a spouse keeps the candy bowl loaded and overflowing. Maybe watching TV has developed a couch potato. Maybe the real cause is self-sabotage.
Root out sabotage. Often, simply being aware of the sabotage will defuse it.
8. Work on only one major goal at a time.
Practice it until it becomes a habit before tackling another. It may take six weeks or so for the new behavior to become a habit.
With a little planning and regular attention, this can be the year those great resolutions become reality.
Related Tags: goals, new years resolutions, journaling, tips to achieve goals, outcomes, success in goals
Phyllis Staff is a research psychologist and the daughter of a victim of Alzheimer's disease.
"I studied the medical research literature for two years to discover why my father developed Alzheimer's disease and whether I would develop it as well. I was baffled until I remembered that, as a pilot and aeronautical engineer, Dad was continually exposed to solvents and aluminum dust for more than 50 years. I believe this exposure had a significant negative impact on his health," says Dr. Staff.
You can watch our video on aluminum and Alzheimer's and get a full-length Guide to Aluminum and Alzheimer's Disease on our website, www.AlzheimersFree.com/aluminum.html
Visit us at www.AlzheimersFree.com for the latest research on the prevention of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
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