6 Tips for Making Lasting Resolutions

You woke up this morning and thought about your New Year’s resolution. Did you do anything about it or did you roll over and sleep a little longer?

The vast majority of people who make resolutions don’t keep them – why? Probably because they are too daunting, too much of a change and there’s no accountability to anyone to complete them, right?

Gretchen Rubin, author of “The Happiness Project” a book that chronicled her year-long pursuit of more happiness, has 6 questions to ask yourself when you are making resolutions so they stick.

What Would Make You Happier?

Rubin suggests either more of something good – time with friends, make time for a hobby – or less of something bad – yelling at the kids or nagging your spouse. It could include making other happy such as volunteering or growing an area of your life that you haven’t focused on yet.

What Action Will Bring Change?

Sometimes our resolutions are so vague, they don’t even make sense to us, according to Rubin. It’s hard to keep a resolution to “Be more optimistic” – what does that even mean? This, along with “enjoy now” or “find more joy” are examples she gives of resolutions that are difficult to measure and therefore, difficult to keep.

She suggests things that are specific and measurable (Remember S.M.A.R.T. goals in performance evaluations at work?). This could be “see a movie once a week” or “buy a plant for my desk.” These kinds of specific ideas bring you closer to question #1.

Are You a ‘Yes’ Resolver or a ‘No’ Resolver?

Rubin explains that you should determine if you respond to positive statements such as “Take that dance class” or if negative statements work better for you like “don’t expect gold stars.” She says neither way is better than the other; it’s more about what works best for you.

Are You Starting Small Enough?

If you goals are so ambitious you will fail immediately, it’s self-defeating and you’ll give up before the end of January, she says. “Start small,” she writes. Her example is exercise. Instead of resolving to work out an hour a day (assuming you are starting from low activity), try a 10-minute walk during lunch or move during the commercial breaks. Small steps will help you get started and you can build from there.

How Can You Hold Yourself Accountable?

Rubin says the reason why Weight Watchers and Alcoholics Anonymous work for people is because the members answer to others; they hold each other accountable. She suggests trying her Resolutions Chart or starting a Happiness Project group in your area. There materials are available by emailing her at gretchenrubin1@gretchenrubin.com.

 What Small Nagging Issues Drag You Down?

There are always little things lurking. She says these are really part of question #1. She calls them Pigeons of Discontent. While they aren’t huge issues, they still weigh on you and bring you down. Soon, she’ll be offering a link to her 2012 Happiness Challenge and you can join in the project. Again, please check out the website for more information about all of this.

Best of Luck in 2012!

Marijo Tinlin is the Editor in Chief of Family First, one of the oldest family-oriented websites on the internet. She is also the author of the new book about patriotism and teaching our children to love this country called “How to Raise an American Patriot, Making it Okay for Our Kids to Be Proud to Be American.”  It features 13 interviews with patriotic Americans including Ed Meese, Erick Erickson and Jackie Gingrich Cushman. It’s available at www.raisinganamericanpatriot.com.