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As we put the holidays behind us and dig out from underneath all of the wrapping paper, many of us turn to the upcoming New Year’s celebration to engage in a ritual — New Year’s resolutions. On January second, millions of people begin the annual ritual of New Year's Resolutions.
Memberships at health clubs and diet programs soar in the following weeks. Sales of chocolate and alcohol decline, replaced by healthier food and drink. People take a long, hard look at their spending habits as they sort through the bills coming in January's mail. "Time for a new beginning" is the message promoted by news media.
Why do humans pick a single point in time each year to try and change certain things in their life — behaviors, attitudes, make resolutions about them, and then proceed to fail at them within a month’s time?
The answer is simple, during the month of December people tend to overindulge in eating, drinking, spending money and neglecting exercise. Rather than moderate these behaviors, we promise ourselves that after the holiday season is over, we will definitely take control. In the meantime, we give ourselves permission to overindulge without guilt.
Our resolve is at its peak when we feel full, drunk, or broke. It's easy to think about going on a diet as we groan from a bloating holiday meal. It's no problem to plan to quit smoking when we've just had a cigarette and replenished our nicotine level. At this point we feel confident about our New Year's resolutions because we have not yet confronted any prolonged physical deprivation or discomfort.
In early January, we are often so sick of rich food and drinks, and feeling so sluggish from lack of vigorous physical activity, that it's not difficult to abstain from overindulgence. In fact, some people look forward to more structure and discipline in their lives. However, a few weeks into the new discipline, our appetites have returned, and we start to feel deprived. It is at this point that we are most at risk for reverting back to old behaviors.
Soon we start rationalizing that this is not a good time of year, what with cold weather and our numerous obligations. When spring comes, we'll really get into shape. Thus, we make another promise to ourselves, and, now free of guilt, put off habit change for another few months. Chances are that when spring arrives, we will have another temporary surge of motivation, only to abandon it within a few weeks.
Therefore, if you are going to make New Year's resolutions this year, be sure you are ready for the challenge. Here are some tips to maximize your success:
1. Examine your motivation for change. Are you just feeling full and bloated at this moment? Do you have a hangover from last night? Did your last cigarette give you have a hacking cough? Or is there a more enduring reason for your desire to change?
2. Set realistic goals. Habits and behaviors that are changed gradually have a greater chance of success.
3. Focus on the behavioral change more than on the goal. For example, if you decide to control your eating, your goal for the day is not to lose a specific number of kilos, but to stick to your program.
4. Learn to redefine physical sensations of discomfort. Whenever we restrict ourselves, we have both physical and mental reactions. For example, a smoker feels bodily sensations when his nicotine level drops. However, he has a choice as to how he interprets these symptoms. He can define them as extremely unpleasant, or alternatively he can interpret them as his body cleansing itself of the drug.
5. Make tasks non-negotiable. For example, if you debate with yourself at 5:30 a.m. whether you feel like getting up to exercise, you will probably opt for staying in bed for another half hour. But if getting up for exercise is no more negotiable than getting up for work, then you'll do it regardless of how you feel about it. One can almost always find an excuse not to do things. However, if you make a non-negotiable decision that's based on a sound logical reason rather than on how you feel at the moment, you will be successful.
6. Allow for imperfection. No one is exactly on target all the time. In fact you should expect to falter every now and then. If you give in to temptation, do not use this as an excuse to abandon the whole program. Learn from your mistake and move on.
7. Do it now. If you're waiting for a more convenient time to begin behavioral change, it won't happen. It's almost never convenient to change ingrained habits. Now is just as convenient as any time. And if you begin now rather than later, you'll have a jump on a more satisfying future.
Succeeding on the first attempt is not the sign of a hero. When faced with defeat and failure, when your spirit is broken, the actions you take then determine your character.
I wish you all Good luck with your own New Year’s resolutions!
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