Why I could not keep up my 2013 resolutions?

It is that dreaded time of the year when we start making resolutions for this year. Did you know that only 8 % of the people successfully uphold their resolutions? Last year, I was in the 92 % of the people who were unsuccessful. My 2013 resolutions were to lose weight and to write more. I failed in the first one because every time I lost some weight, I would take it as a cue to eat more. So I lost a little bit of weight but I put on a lot more pounds to compensate for that loss. I fared a little bit better when it came to writing. I started a blog and tried to post at least one post every week.

This year, I did not want to fail as badly as last year. I read about the theories behind how to make resolutions and be in that successful 8 % club. First, the resolutions have to be quantified. Rather than saying I will lose weight, say I will lose 5 kg in six months. Second, track your progress every day. Having a resolution for an entire year can be intimidating. Follow the resolutions each day and mark your progress in the calendar by striking that day out. In this way, you will see your progress each day and all those tick marks give hope to continue with the resolutions. Third, make your resolutions public, which will give an additional push to stick to them. Another good advice I read was to have resolutions which support overall development rather than one. Have resolutions which focus on all the five aspects – personal, professional, physical, emotional and spiritual.

Here are my resolutions for 2014. I quantified them and made them public.

Personal – Write two blog posts every week. Attend the Bangalore Writer’s Workshop at least once every month. Prepare draft for my first short story book by September

Professional – Move to the next level

Physical – Work out for 30 minutes every day except on Friday. Friday is a holiday for work out

Emotional – This suggestion was provided by my hubby. Worry about a topic only for 15 minutes and move on

Spiritual – Meditate for at least an hour every day

If you meet me do not forget to ask how I am faring. That will at least keep me on the track.

What are your new year resolutions? If you do not want to be that serious this year, it is completely alright. Get more wise by following Calvin’s perspective on New Year resolutions.

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