Posted By Alejandro Adrian LeMon, Ph.D., LMHC on Dec 31, 2012 | 4 comments

Despite the ups and downs, despite a doomsday prediction, you’ve made it! You have survived 2012!

This is the time for a fresh start and a new you!

I have narrowed down a few tips to help you with your New Year’s resolutions:

• Divide and conquer. Make your goals attainable by attacking in small amounts. If reaching your goal requires five workouts a week, but you can only go to the gym three days a week, then you need to scale back your goal.  Never do too much at once or you will become frustrated.

• Write a plan and prioritize your most important goals. Choose the 5 most important goals that you can work on for the first 6 months, such as quitting smoking, or reducing the amount of cigarettes per month, losing 20 lbs, etc.

• Keep your goals simple. Make sure that they are realistic and attainable. Don’t try to conquer Mount Everest because quite possibly, you will fail. Besides, it is pretty cold up there.

• Enjoy the challenge. Life is not about the end of the journey, but about the road that takes you there. Like a movie, it’s not the end that always matters, but what happens along the way.

• Get rid of toxic relationships. No more toxic relationships for 2013. Make this a rule! If you feel that you are always putting more effort into a relationship than the other person, then this is the year to end all that. Instead, 2013 will be a year for new relationships that are reciprocal and healthy.

• Recognize the things that you did accomplish on 2012. Maybe you feel like a failure because you were not able to accomplish everything that you wanted in 2012. Listen, you’ve already been hard on yourself enough. Just recognize what you did well, and remember that 2013 will be a fresh start for you. This time, you will have a better plan to tackle your goals, whether it’s a new relationship, job or a new business.

• Don’t be a perfectionist. Despite what others say, it is not worth it. Perfectionism is the enemy of creativity and harmony, and the last thing you want is to go through another year full of frustration and resentment. Be ambitious, just make sure that you take your time and allow yourself to make some mistakes along the way.

• Don’t be too competitive. High achievers are not as competitive as you might think. Competitive people are so focused on beating their competitors that they often lose focus. High achievers use a unique blend of humility and will that’s required for true greatness.

• Give yourself credit! Keep a weekly to-do list. If you are behind schedule on a goal, so what. Remember, life is about living and learning. Besides, as long as you have the will and the determination to finish what you start, anything is possible. You are proof of that.

• Avoid rumination. Too much valuable energy is used when you over-think and it’s not worth it. This energy is better spent on making a deference in your life and in others’.

Good luck and Happy New Year!!!!

References

Collins, Jim. Built to Last. Retrieved 12/31/2012 from: www.jimcollins.com