by the Green Mortgage Team
NEW YEAR’S
RESOLUTIONS
GOALS Year after year, we set our New Year’s resolutions (i.e. “to get in shape”) and by February, most of us have fallen off track already. It’s why January always seems to be a bit busier at the gym and we hear all this talk of a “dry January.” How do we get these resolutions to stick? Why do so many people fall off the track? Our book of the month, Atomic Habits by James Clear, has a number of great tips about creating habits, which are the foundation for making positive change. This is our take on how to create (and stick to) positive changes in our lives. Here are five tips to turn your resolutions into realities:
1. Don’t call them resolutions You’re already tricking your brain into thinking this is a short-term thing. As soon as you call it a resolution, you’re allowing yourself to play into the social construct that a resolution is meant to be a short-term change. Call them GOALS.
2. Create SMART goals Specific Be specific. “Get in shape” does not have a specific objective. “I want to lose 20 pounds and be 12% body fat” is a more specific goal.
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Measurable As in the previous example, use something that is measurable in which you can clearly define whether you attained the goal or not. Numbers create measurable success. Try to find a way to measure it somehow to know if you achieved it or not. Attainable Make sure it is realistic. If your goals are not realistic, your brain will automatically discount this as a fantasy and immediately start finding reasons to avoid the “pain” to achieve the “gain”. Relevant Make sure this goal is relevant to you and has a direct benefit to you. Make it selfishly revolve around what you want to achieve. Time-bound Timelines make the world turn. As soon as there is no timeframe, attention to the goal will wane and procrastination will take over. Give yourself a deadline to light that fire!
