EVERY year on New Year's Eve, people resolve to make positive changes with the very best intentions, but the sad reality is, by the time we go to bed on January 1, many of us have already broken them.
As we prepare to welcome in the New Year, a team of psychologists from West Virginia University have given some great tips on how to make your resolutions stick in 2017.
According to the team, some basic psychological principles can be harnessed as motivation in order to help people enact meaningful changes.
Research has indicated people who successfully keep their resolutions generally employ the following four vital strategies:
- Write out the benefits of a potential change
People who see more benefits to maintaining a specific behaviour than disadvantages or negatives are generally not ready to enact change.
Writing down the potential benefits of a change, assessing possible implications if a change is not made and making every possible effort to convince yourself the change is necessary are steps that should help strengthen resolve.
- Create a plan
Break the goal down into small, attainable objectives and allow a little bit of time in order to successfully make the transition.
For example, smokers who are daunted by the prospect of quitting could look at reducing the amount they smoke first.
- Work towards a series of small, specific goals
Work towards clearly defined goals, but understand setbacks are a normal part of the change process and not an indication of failure.
Do not punish yourself for setbacks and reward yourself for the small successes.
- Tell others about your plans
Announcing your intention to change to other people increases the likelihood you will stick to the resolution and the support of others can be a great motivator.