Inspiration

Checking in on New Year’s resolutions

Plan, revise, evaluate and praise yourself on your new year resolution.

Maybe you decided to lose 20 pounds and eat more green, leafy vegetables. Maybe you had your last cigarette with your celebratory champagne. Maybe you decided to leave the office at 5 pm every day to spend more time with your family. With months past, are you finding it difficult to stick with your resolutions?

You may have already forgotten them. In fact, the majority of Americans are likely to give up on their resolution completely within the first couple of months. But there's no reason to surrender. Though you may have begun with the highest of hopes, many experts say simply revising your goals to be more realistic and obtainable is the key to keeping your resolve going all year.

First, it's important to look at where those desires for change stem from. With holiday overindulgence closing out the previous year, many feel the need to make changes after gaining weight, spending to extremes and skipping workouts. Come New Year's, we feel the need to regain some control, often making resolutions to the opposite extremes.

And it's normal to feel your resolve waver. If you do, it probably just means that you didn't put in the proper planning on December 31, but that doesn't mean some simple revisions won't help you make some smaller, more controlled strides throughout the year.  All you need is a little renewed P.R.E.P.

Now is the time to try a little P.R.E.P. — Plan, Revise, Evaluate and Praise.

P — Plan
Your initial enthusiasm may have gotten the better of you when you made the promise to yourself that you'd run the Chicago Marathon in October. However, you can take the time now to plan out exactly how you are going to make those 26.2 miles in the fall if that really is your goal.

Think about where you want to be, remember where you are and think about all the steps that are necessary in between. If you really are serious about losing 30 pounds, what are you going to do to make that goal a reality by 2012? The key here, experts agree, is to make your goals realistic and obtainable. Plan your trip to success like you would if you could plug it into Google Maps — simple, obtainable steps that are easily checked off on your way to your destination.

R — Revise
Though you may have had some lofty goals on New Year's Eve, don't be afraid to revise them rather than surrender them.  So you may not have time to train for the marathon.  Why not consider focusing on taking part, instead, in one of the many 5K or 10K events held throughout the year? If your house is still cluttered, why not focus on one room, or even a closet? Concentrating on the small steps creates a sense of accomplishment. When you've achieved these smaller, more manageable goals, you'll be surprised at how much energy and focus you may have to tackle the next race or room. Again, looking at your goals with a more realistic eye will help you be successful.

E — Evaluate
Don't stop with setting the resolution. Evaluate where you are periodically throughout the year to check your progress and think about the months to come. Have you made it to where you want to be? If not, what are the barriers that may be keeping you from your goals? What can you do to overcome these hurdles? Evaluating periodically will help you to remain invested, keeping you on the path to get you across the finish line by year's end.

P — Praise
In setting steps to help you achieve your ultimate resolution, don't be afraid to celebrate your success. Recognizing your accomplishments will go a long way to keeping you motivated throughout the year. Do something for yourself to celebrate the smaller steps on the way to your final goal. For instance, if you've made it your goal to lose 20 pounds, congratulate yourself on losing two pounds by buying a new scarf or pair of shoes. Don't wait until you've lost all 20.

This article was originally printed in Well magazine, the precursor to this site. Written and edited by the editorial staff of Well magazine and Well Community.

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