A New Year's Resolution Without A Plan Is Just A Wish

I am of the opinion that every individual should be working at any given moment to improve themselves. What better time to initiate this than at the start of a new year! It seems appropriate that every year, we get the opportunity, the privilege, to re-evaluate our surroundings, as an ingenious way of “checking-in” to ourselves. Reflecting on the previous year as well as coming up with new ways to improve your upcoming year can be an empowering activity for not only you but for your entire family. Although it’s important to recognize and evaluate what areas of your life may need improvement, it’s just as important to celebrate your accomplishments and victories, no matter how big or small. The start of the new year is a perfect time to do just that since we all start over and with a clean slate on January 1.

The key to a successful New Year’s resolution starts with the plan you set in place to accomplish your goal. To make a statement of what you wish to have happen is a great Step One but it’s nothing more than a wish if you don’t have a solid, organized plan to accomplish that goal. For example, a common New Year’s resolution for many revolves around losing weight. Many will make a resolution of losing a set amount of pounds. They believe that when they hit this magic number of pounds lost, they will have accomplished their goal, and all is good in the world. The mistake made by many in this scenario is that “losing weight” is their actual, stated goal. Unfortunately, where’s the plan with this? How do you hope to accomplish this goal? So, I propose a tweak in that statement. Instead of saying, “I want to lose 20 pounds,” I propose you think of how exactly you would achieve that. Is it that you want to walk 30 minutes per day, five days a week, or do you want to run one-mile, three days a week? Or, what if instead of having two cookies after dinner you limit that to four nights a week? However the plan needs to be to make it appropriate for you, tweak accordingly. The point is, your action steps need to be what you work to accomplish, and the end result (the weight loss) is just a beneficial by-product.

The next key to a successful resolution is what I call the “do-able factor.” In other words, making your goal realistic. There’s a fine line between challenging yourself and putting it out of your reach. Many times we make such a lofty goal for ourselves it becomes almost impossible to keep it going for any length of time. I would much rather set a goal for myself that I know I will complete and accomplish in 12 months rather than one I set for myself that I can’t keep going for more than two-three months. You might think, “I definitely can do that for two months,” and as a result, you’re more inclined to keep that going for three, five and even seven more months. Before you know it, you’re following through with one heck of an accomplishment over an extended period of time. Now that is really worth something.

There’s something to be said for making a reasonable goal and then sticking with it long enough for it to become habit. Maybe, just maybe, the point of the New Year’s resolution is designed to allow you to actively do something long enough until it eventually becomes habit. Very few of us can make drastic changes in our lives and still continue those actions in 6 or 12 months down the line. I tend to believe that this is the fundamental reason why most New Year’s resolutions do not last. Many people make lofty, unobtainable goals that are difficult to sustain for long periods of time, or, more commonly, they make a goal but do not apply any action plan to obtain that goal. That goal is then nothing more than a wish.

Think of your goal like the story of the Tortoise and the Hare: the tortoise made headway being consistent and steady, ultimately finishing the race, whereas the hare started by sprinting strong, stopping to rest here and there and wore himself out quicker than if he were to have remained consistent and steadfast.

Now, what is the one thing in your life that you want to improve? Whenever you ask yourself that question, there was something that immediately popped in your mind. Whatever your initial thought was, you likely dismissed it quickly and tried to think of something else. Whatever it was that first popped in to you head is likely the one thing in your life that would benefit you most to improve. Whatever that is, it’s also just as likely to be the most challenging (in your mind that is) for you to accomplish as well. Whatever challenges you the most is likely to be your biggest gain. It’s quite ironic how that works.

I’m a firm believer that you get out of anything what you put into it. If you give your “2014 Plan” a 50% effort, then expect to get out of it a 50% return. Conversely, this goes for a 100% effort, too. So, what do you hope to accomplish in 2014? Are you waiting for that career promotion or are you saving for that vacation this summer? For some, it may be to simply be happy. So, what does this year have in store for you? Or, I should say, what do you have in store for yourself?

How much do you really want what you say you want? Whatever your ending result is, set your action plan for it and stick with it. Don’t be afraid to impress yourself with what you set out to accomplish. Remember, a New Year’s resolution without a plan is just a wish.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Lauren A. Millman

January 2014