I hope the holidays brought you much happiness
that will continue throughout the year. Now is
the time where everyone starts fresh through their
New Year’s resolutions. Looking ahead, things seem
promising, and most of the population starts with
the same resolutions each year.
Here is a list of the top ten resolutions, according to USA.gov.
• Lose Weight
• Volunteer to Help Others
• Quit Smoking
• Get a Better Education
• Get a Better Job
• Save Money
• Get Fit
• Eat Healthy Food
• Manage Stress
• Manage Debt
It’s likely that you have some of the same resolutions on
your list.
But how many people will stick to their resolutions?
We can dig into the statistics and find that the changes we
want to make last about two weeks on average. Why?
Personally, I think people focus too much on making the
giant leap and then they fall back into the same old patterns
they are trying to eliminate. If they only knew how to take things
one day at a time, their chances of making it happen would increase.
However, taking things one day at a time might seem
counterproductive since our aim is to accomplish the
resolution some time in the future, not the present. What to do?
First things first, you must commit to the resolution for the
whole year and focus on it one day at a time. Everyone has
the capability to accomplish something for a single day. When you
break the resolution down to just one day, you are more likely
to succeed. If you continue the belief about accomplishing it
in the future instead of right now, you will either forget about it
or put it off. Therefore, the key is to break it down into daily steps.
Let’s say you want to start cutting your credit card debt, a popular
resolution for many. It starts with day 1 by halting purchases with
your credit cards. When you accomplish something for a day, it is
a big confidence-booster, because all you can think of is: “I can do this.”
Now you can do it for a second day. Putting your focus on a daily
goal will help you break the old behaviors and bring in the new behaviors
you want.
As part of the plan to eliminate your credit card debt, give your card
companies a call and ask for a lower interest rate. If they say no, find
a card that has a lower interest rate and do a balance transfer to the
new card. Many cards offer a 0% interest rate for a time period to
catch the attention of new customers. This way, you are paying less
interest and achieving your resolution of managing your debt.
So whatever your New Year’s resolutions are for 2014, start right now
after you read this. Break down your resolutions to daily goals and watch
how your life starts to change before your very eyes.
You can do this!