6 tips that will Boost Your New Year’s Resolutions (Fly Society)
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6 tips that will Boost Your New Year’s Resolutions
Hello, there.
How are those New Year’s Resolutions going? Those gym memberships, vegan vows, savings accounts, shopping carts, etc.? Well, usually about 80% of people dump their resolutions by January 15th so if you are still holding on, even if by a thread, I congratulate you. If you’ve failed thus far, join the club lol. Either way, I have 8 tips that will boost your efforts.
#1: Write it down.
“And the Lord answered me: "Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay (ESV).” -Habakkuk 2:2-3
Fun Fact:
According to a recent ComRes poll, the most common New Year's resolutions include:
Exercise more (38 percent)
Lose weight (33 percent)
Eat more healthily (32 percent)
Take a more active approach to health (15 percent) =
Learn new skill or hobby (15 percent) =
Spend more time on personal wellbeing (12 percent) =
Spend more time with family and friends (12 percent) =
Drink less alcohol (12 percent) =
Stop smoking (9 percent)
Other (1 percent)
Whatever your New Year’s Resolution maybe, my advice would be to Chuck it and trade it for solid goal. Most New Year’s resolutions are light-hearted emotional decisions made on a whim. Habakkuk 2-3 is a perfect example of how the Lord wishes for us to approach our aspirations. By creating and writing down a solid goal that we can meditate on and bring before the Lord for assistance. James 1:6-8 states, “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” When we come before God with a solid goal, we can do anything. So instead of saying, “I would like to lose 20 lbs this year” write it down and put a date on it. Instead write, “I want to lose 20 lbs by my birthday.” Iflscience.com, suggests connecting a resolution to a specific goal can be motivating. The bible says, it is a major key to success. So let’s write our visions and make them plain.
#2: Access the goal.
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?(NIV).” -Luke 14:28
This verse suggests the amount of realism and honesty you will need to complete a goal. When creating a goal one must plan properly by taking into account everything needed to successfully fulfill the goal. Most resolutions fail because of a lack of realistic planning. According to Mentalhealth.org most of us strive for unrealistic goals and ultimately set ourselves up for failure. Bo Jackson said, “Set your standards high and don’t stop until you get there.” In this case, set your standards realistically and don’t stop until you get there. A common reason why most goals and/or resolutions fail is that the goals being set are done unrealistically. As much as we would like to lose 20 lbs in the first two weeks or even in the month of the year, it may not be a realistic goal for us. As we know, when losing weight there are a few factors to take into consideration. For example, there must be a change of diet, addition of exercise, discipline, consistency, etc. Don't allow your emotions to shape your goal. Instead, fine-tune your goal to realistically achieve your desire. Proverbs 13:16 states, “All who are prudent act with knowledge, but fools expose their folly.” Jesus raised a good question in Luke 14. If we have a goal. It would be wise to break it down and properly plan it out, instead of just shooting off the hip.
#3: Set Realistic Expectations:
“The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” -Proverbs 21:5
Now that we have written the vision, made it plain, and have properly assessed our goals. It’s time to set some realistic expectations. According to Iflscience.com, most New Year’s Resolutions are dropped because their makers may have become victims of “false hope syndrome.” False hope syndrome is characterized by a person’s unrealistic expectations about the likely speed, amount, ease and consequences of changing their behavior. A great way of avoiding this would be to break our big goals into smaller more attainable goals. For example, If your New Year’s Resolution is to lose 20 pounds this year, commit to losing 5 pounds a month. This concept is employed in James 5:16 stating, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” If we want to succeed in our goal planning we must remain diligent.
Another helpful tip would be to focus on one thing at a time. One of the easiest routes to failure is to have too many resolutions. If you want to be fitter and healthier, do just one thing at a time. Give up drinking. Give up smoking. Join a gym. Eat more healthily. But don’t do them all at once, just choose one and do your best to stick to it. Once you have got one thing under your control, you can begin a second resolution (iflscience.com). Personally, I can handle multiple changes at once, but the key to taking on what you can personally handle without overwhelming yourself. The key is to remain diligent.
#4: Change your Surroundings
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” - Romans 12:2
In order to successfully change your day-to-day behavior, one must change his or her day-to-day thinking. The Bible reminds us how important the mind is by reiterating how we must renew our minds daily. We are new creatures; however, we must set our minds on things above in order to stay above water. A great way to encourage a mind change is to change your surroundings. If your New Year’s resolution is to stop smoking, it would be a wise choice to stay away from smoking sections or places that would influence you to smoke.
#5: Grab an accountability partner
“Where there is no guidance the people fall, But in abundance of counselors there is victory.“ -Proverbs 11:14
Don’t be afraid to ask for help and support from those around you. Ask a close friend or three about your goal to be your accountability partner. Accountability partners provide motivation, encouragement, and emotional support. Proverbs advise the more the merrier!
#6: Keep going when you mess up:
“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” - 2 Chronicles 15:7
Mentalhealth.org suggests after a couple of weeks, the changes you’ve made will become a habit and part of your routine, so don’t be discouraged if you’re still finding it hard after the first week. Stick to it and it will only get easier. Rome wasn’t built in a day and it fell after many years. Sometimes we can be so adamant about reaching a goal that we forget to celebrate how far we’ve come. Keep track of your progress and reward yourself often. This will make things a bit easier when or if you fall short. It happens.
You got this! Happy New Year!
“May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.” -Psalm 20:4
Sources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/working-difficult-people/201612/new-years-resolutions-dont-work
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My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen. -1 Corinthians 16:24
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