Don’t drop the ball on your New Year’s resolutions

Babylonians would take time at the beginning of their agricultural year to make promises to their gods, either to pay back debts, return items they have borrowed to their original owner or simply plan to find success in the coming months.

Eventually, Julius Caesar would establish January as the official beginning of the calendar year, and not too long afterward, modern Christians began using the time to ask forgiveness for the mistakes they made in the previous year and aspire to improve.

Originally brought about as a religious practice, New Year’s resolutions have become a world-wide tradition aimed at identifying problems and planning to fix them in the coming year. Statistically, many will fail, however.

This isn’t for a failure of trying, but more an indictment on the execution of these plans, which Kendra Cherry says can succeed with smart planning and preparing for success. Cherry is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist who contributes to Verywell Mind, an online resource that specializes in providing mental health tips and news.

“Resolutions are much easier to make than to keep, and by the end of March, many of us have abandoned our resolve and settled back into our old patterns,” Cherry says.

She notes that losing weight, making better financial choices and quitting smoking are common and worthwhile changes, but recognizes that only 12% of people with those goals will succeed in achieving them.

Cherry says deciding on a specific goal is a good place to start. She said, “Instead of selecting such an ambiguous goal, focus on something more concrete that you can realistically set your sights on.”

Instead of planning to “lose weight” or “be more productive,” you should instead focus on a specific amount of weight you would like to lose or create a list of tasks you would like to complete and focus on one at a time.

This includes putting time into planning around which goal is chosen to deter quitting because of any small setback. Cherry said, “For example, if your goal is to run three times per week, what will you do if you’ve missed four days in a row, and how will you proceed if you need to take time off for an illness or injury?

“By knowing exactly what you want to accomplish and the difficulties you might face, you’ll be better prepared to stick to your resolution and overcome anything that might sidetrack you.”

Cherry notes that starting the process of fulfilling any New Year’s resolution begins by taking small steps and not overwhelming yourself with the change. This also helps avoid repeating past failures; if you’re not diving in at the deep end you’re more likely to succeed.

Cherry’s last tips revolve around support, whether that be from the people around you or building confidence to achieve any personal goals.

“It may take longer than you would like to achieve your goals, but remember that this is not a race to the finish,” Cherry explained. “Once you have made the commitment to changing a behavior it may be something that you continue to work on for the rest of your life.

“When you face such moments, remind yourself exactly why you are doing this. Think about what (you) have to gain by achieving your goal. Finding sources of inspiration can keep you going when times get tough.”

Cherry concluded, “The path toward your goal is not always a straight one, and there will often be challenges along the way. Instead, view relapses as learning opportunities. By understanding the challenges, you will be better prepared to deal with them in the future.”

Comments and questions are always welcome. Contact the reporter at jhernandez@wmicentral.com.