If you’ve resolved to lose weight, get in shape and stay healthy for the new year, then you’re in good company. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 38% of American adults have made New Year’s resolutions at some point in their lives.
However, despite the popularity of these resolutions, they are notoriously difficult to achieve — especially when it comes to getting fit.
Vision without execution is hallucination
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was not wrong.
He had a vision — to mass-produce cars using assembly lines. His plan was to make cars as fast as possible and sell them for reasonable prices so that everyone could own one.
But what if he hadn’t actually worked out the details? What if his vision was just a dream? Would he have been able to turn it into reality?
The answer is NO, because there were many details that needed to be executed in order for his plan to work out well enough for him to succeed. For example, somehow he had to convince people that they should buy these cars instead of walking or riding horses around town as all their ancestors did before them; and secondly, how would people transport raw materials from one place to another quickly enough so that production wouldn’t slow down too much? These are just some examples of hurdles that needed solving before anyone could even think about selling anything at all!
Create a vision that transforms you
The first step in creating a vision that will transform you into the person you are meant to be is to visualize your future self.
Imagine how this new, transformed person would feel and act. What does he want? How does he look, think, and feel? What does he do every day?
Once you have a clear idea of what this looks like, ask yourself: why do I want to become this person? Why is it important for me to achieve my goals?
Sometimes we have dreams but don’t know why they matter; other times we don’t even realize that there are certain things missing from our lives until we see them in another person’s life. Once again, it’s important to ask yourself these questions so that when push comes to shove (and it always does), your motivation won’t fail you!
Finally, once created, make sure that your vision has a clear path toward completion. If possible add deadlines as well because nothing motivates us more than knowing exactly what needs doing when and by whom
Vision serves as a guiding light
A vision is a mental image of what you want to achieve. It’s a goal that you want to achieve. A dream you want to make come true. A plan for the future and a picture of how you want your life to be.
When you have a clear vision, it gives direction and meaning to every other decision in your life — from what work projects to commit your time and energy toward, which friendships are worth nurturing, which activities give opportunities for growth, which hobbies are meaningful, etc. — and this helps ensure that all those choices serve as stepping stones toward your ultimate destiny instead of keeping yourself stuck in unfulfilling cycles or wasting time on things that don’t move closer toward where you truly want to go with no real end goal or aim at all.
What’s your reason?
The answer to “Why?” is probably obvious to you, but it’s important to really examine the reasons behind your new year’s resolution. It may be something like: “I want to lose weight and get into shape.” But then again, maybe it isn’t as simple as that. What will you gain by losing weight? How will your life be different if you’re in shape? And what are the tradeoffs? If it means eating less ice cream or cutting back on TV time, what does that mean?
If this seems too daunting an exercise at first glance, don’t worry — just start small with something easy like flossing more often or eating healthier foods for one week out of every month. Once that becomes second nature (and feels good!), then move on to bigger changes over time.
Turn your resolution from a wish into an intention
You can turn your resolution from a wish into an intention by asking yourself these questions:
- What is the goal you are trying to achieve?
- How will you know when you have reached it?
- How long will it take to reach this goal, and what milestones will there be along the way?
- Why do you want this thing in the first place? Is it worth pursuing because of who or what else it helps (e.g., yourself, other people), or, because of what it means (e.g., financial security), or both?
- What resources do I need to achieve this goal — both internal and external — and how might I acquire them now (or later)? Examples include time, money, and health.
Keep track of what works well for others who have achieved similar goals before so that you can apply their methods for success as well as avoid their mistakes.
Break down your New Year’s resolution into smaller bite-sized pieces
Consider breaking down your New Year’s resolution into smaller milestones. It’s easy to get overwhelmed thinking about all the things you want to accomplish, but focusing on one task at a time can help make it feel more manageable.
For example, if your goal is to get better at public speaking by giving talks at local meetups and conferences, try breaking that down into smaller pieces:
- Giving one talk every month in 2023
- Each talk has an outline and notes written beforehand
- Always bring water with me so I don’t get dehydrated or lightheaded during my presentation
Set yourself up for success
The most important thing is to set yourself up for success. Here’s how:
- Set a reasonable time frame.
If your goal is massive weight loss, don’t expect it all to happen in the first month of the year—or even six months. Make sure that whatever you’re doing can be done within a realistic timeframe. - Make sure you have everything you need (and want).
If your goal is going to be working out and eating better, make sure you’ve got everything ready so that when the resolution kicks in, it doesn’t feel like work and instead feels like something fun and positive that will actually bring results. That might mean buying new workout clothes or sneakers; stocking up on fruits and vegetables; or setting aside some time at home where they can enjoy themselves without distraction from friends or family members who may not understand why this particular goal matters so much right now. - Have support from others who understand why this change could really help improve their lives down the road.
So, if you want to succeed with your resolution, use these strategies to make it work.
Bottomline, have a vision, not just resolutions
To be successful with your resolution, you need to have a clear image of what “success” looks like and how it will feel once achieved. This can take many forms. For example, if you’re trying to lose weight, envision yourself in the future wearing clothes that no longer fit because now you’re healthy enough to fit into them. If overcoming procrastination is one of your resolutions, imagine what it would feel like when all those projects around the house are finally completed.
Your vision should be specific enough so that every day as you work toward achieving it feels meaningful and rewarding. However vague or distant your goal may seem right now (this is especially true if this isn’t an area where people usually experience significant change), keep working towards making this dream come true.
Conclusion
I hope this article has given you some insight into what alternatives are better to set than just the typical New Year’s resolutions.
Remember that it’s not just about the vision, but also about the execution. You have to figure out what your reason for doing something is, break down your resolution into smaller steps that are easy to achieve, and set yourself up for success by creating routines and habits around it.
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