A few tips to keep your New Year's resolutions

The end of the year period is a good time to reflect and decide to implement improvements. What are the different aspects to help you to successfully keep your resolutions? This article will go over some important points to make our task easier.

To increase the probability to succeed and reduce the effort, two aspects must be considered: organization and mindset.

1-  Organization

Decide when to start

For each goal, whether it's quitting smoking, becoming more active, giving yourself more selfcare, or anything else, you have to decide on the right time to start, neither too soon nor too far away in time. Once the date has been chosen, we start to prepare mentally without realizing it.

Set up a system

In order to achieve a goal, it is often necessary to change your habits. Why do some people succeed more easily than others?

It would be easy to blame yourself or think that you lack willpower. In reality, one of the secrets is setting up a system that helps us change our habits and not have to constantly fight against ourselves.

For example, if you decide to stop snacking between meals, how are you going to organize a system that prevents you from being confronted with sweets in front of the photocopier at work, at the entrance to the kitchen ? Which healthy snacks will you put on your grocery list ? Where are you going to store them ? Etc.

2-  Mindset and motivation

Support

Once you have made your decision, surround yourself with people who will support you. Choose those who encourage you. Avoid killjoys and those who will destroy your momentum or your motivation.

When you talk to someone about a project, you make a commitment to yourself and to the other person, which holds you accountable.

Motivation

It is essential to take your personality into account when concretely organizing the implementation of the objective. For example, to become more physically active, some people can motivate themselves alone and others need to meet with a training partner or sign up for a group class to have an appointment scheduled. Respecting our own way of operating is the basis of success.

One tip to maintain motivation is to focus on the positive aspects rather than on the difficulty: instead of "I forbid myself from eating a certain food," say to yourself "I am going to become healthier and stronger!"

For those who tend to wait until they have reached the final goal to feel satisfied, consider rewarding and congratulating yourself with each small step forward!

A helping hand from a pro

Hiring a professional can make things easier. For example, a sports coach if you have a sports-related goal, or a hypnotherapist if you want to quit smoking or anything else. The professional's job is to support you in all stages of achieving your goal, organizing, maintaining motivation, strengthening your resources to avoid self-sabotage, and also encouraging you.

In conclusion, the same objective will take shape differently for everyone. The best thing is not to compare yourself to others and to move forward in your own way and at your own pace.

I wish you much fulfillment in your progress!

And if you have any questions or would like an appointment, don't hesitate to contact me.

Laura Tchernin

Hypnotherapist based in Geneva