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As 2006 draws to a close, millions of people are making
their New Year's resolutions, promises they've resolved
to keep in 2007. Yet, statistics show that the average
time it takes a person to break a new year's resolution
is two weeks to one month. According to Helen Burton,
a certified empowerment and recovery coach, it isn’t stress,
lack of motivation, lack of time, or a failure of willpower
that results in breaking the commitments. “Most resolutions
fail because support systems were not in place at the
start,” she says.
Whether the outcome is weight loss, sobriety, reducing
debt or becoming more organized, Burton suggests the first
step is to survey the situation to
understand
your options. “Once you focus on the real goal at hand,
you can easily break it down into mini-goals that are
achievable.” Burton is a certified coach who helps both
addicts and their loved ones work through the pain and
develop a plan for a purposeful future. She founded Love
Yourself Coaching (www.loveyourselfcoaching.com) in 2001,
to meet the ongoing need of empowering others to create
healing and live better lives.
She offers the following tips to help provide the support
to make any resolution an accomplished one:
1) Work on only one major goal at a time. “More than one
resolution can be overwhelming, so just stick with one,”
says the coach. “Practice the same tools and techniques
over and over again until they become a habit before tackling
other methods.”
2) Find someone you can rely on to keep you on track.
”Whether it’s a loved one, a friend, or a coach, find
someone who cares enough about you to see you succeed,”
says Burton. “Touch base with him or her weekly or more
often, if needed, to keep you successful in achieving
your goal.”
3) Schedule a meeting with yourself. Burton suggests giving
yourself at least 30 minutes each week to reflect on the
goal and find the direction you want to take.
4) Keep rewards small and frequent. “Large and distant
rewards distract from the pleasure of achieving goals,”
she says. “So give your self small gifts for every small
goal you achieve.”
5) Celebrate every milestone. “We often see what we haven’t
accomplished, rather than the steps that we have taken.
Any effort or energy you give to what you haven’t accomplished
will only slow you down,” she says. “Celebrate every accomplishment,
keep the momentum going, and focus on today.”
For more information about Love Yourself Coaching, contact
Burton at Helen@LoveYourselfCoaching.net.
source: http://www.prlog.org/10004103-why-new-year-resolutions-fail.html
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