As the new year begins, people traditionally set new year’s resolutions for themselves. Sadly, most of us give up on our resolutions within the first month or two. Don’t be one of the statistics! Be smart!
- Set a goal that is small and attainable
- Have a buddy hold you accountable
- If you fall short, restart from where you are
Often times people set lofty goals that are a long way from where they are. If you have been a couch potato all year and then decide to run a marathon, you will not be successful at this goal overnight. Maybe you start by setting a goal that you are going to run ½ mile 3 times per week. This is a small goal and attainable. Once you get comfortable running ½ mile, maybe you work up to 1 mile 3x per week. Each time you reach that goal, increase it slightly. By doing so, you gain confidence in your ability and increase the odds of reaching your goal in a healthy way.
Another reason people may fall short with resolutions is because they do not hold themselves accountable to take the steps needed to reach their goal. Let’s face it, most of us are more likely to go running if we have a friend run with us or a friend who is going to keep us honest! So, why go it alone when you can have company and some fun along the way?
Lastly, people give up easily on the goals if they miss the mark on the first try. Let’s use the goal above of running ½ mile 3 times per week. If that person only ran once or twice that week they may view themselves as a failure and think why bother to keep going because they already failed. Rather than view this as a failure, view it as a new starting point. You are not back at square one because square one was not running at all. You at least ran one time! Reset and restart from you are.
Remember that there will be obstacles and hurdles along the way. The only way to fail is to not try at all. Be kind and gentle with yourself. And be sure to celebrate the small victories. Those small victories add up to reaching big goals! Good luck!