MountainWings:5 Keys to making and keeping your New Year Resolutions

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MountainWings A MountainWings Moment
#11365 Wings Over The Mountains of Life
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5 Keys to Making and Keeping Your New Year Resolutions
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1. Define the Win
Many people make mistakes of making very general goals and never
end up keeping them. It's one thing to say, "I want to lose
weight" and entirely another thing to say, "I want to lose 50
pounds by Thanksgiving."

Fifty pounds is a defined win. When you state, "I want to lose
weight." you have defined a direction, but you haven't defined a
measurable goal line. How will you know when you have lost
enough? You can always make another goal later.

Here are some abstract goals that have been better defined to
understand a win.

I want to read more - I will read 12 books this year
(1 book a month)

I want to eat better -
I will eat a minimum of two vegetables a day

I want to exercise more -
I will run 500 miles this year.

I want to be more generous -
I will give 15% of my income away this year.

2. Make smaller goals along the way.
In football there are two lines that really matter. The official
goal-line where all the points are scored and the first-down
line where a team advances ten yards and gets 4 more shots at
the goal-line.

The smaller goal of the first-down marker is often what really
advances the ball and helps teams make it across the bigger
goal-line that counts.

Create for yourself smaller goals that you can achieve on a
weekly or monthly basis that will help you achieve your bigger
goal. If your goal is to read twelve books a year, that
translates into one book a month. If you want to lose 50 pounds,
that's roughly one pound a week. Make smaller goals and
celebrate when you've reached them.

Celebrating small successes along the way will give you the
momentum you need to reach your bigger goal.

3. Don't be afraid to ask for help.
Your goal may be something huge like to quit smoking. Do some
research and consult some people or products that are geared to
help you. If you want to lose weight, don't be afraid to consult
your doctor and even sign up to meet a trainer at the gym. If
you want to read more, ask someone you know who reads a lot and
ask them for strategy and tips.

4. Make the goal with a friend or group of friends.
If you are trying to lose weight, get your spouse on board to
exercise with you or to make a similar commitment to eat
healthier. If you are trying to read a book a month, start a
book club. Have a friend meet you at the gym 3 times a week. If
you want to write more, start a blog and ask your friends to
follow.

5. Evaluate your results.
Set an end date and set aside time to evaluate how you did
throughout the year towards your goal. Every goal achieved and
not achieved is a chance to learn. Maybe you only read ten books
instead of twelve (odds are that's about nine more than you
might have otherwise). Maybe you only lost 35 pounds (that's
still 35 pounds!). Maybe you quit working out in February
because you got a cold and never went back. Figure out what went
wrong and what went right. Take the time to measure how far you
have come and challenge yourself with something new for the next
year.

What kind of resolutions are you making this year?

~Pastor Jonathan Hill~

Thank you for inviting MountainWings into your mailbox.
Change a life, give a friend MountainWings.
See you tomorrow.

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