Many men and women have good resolutions as we enter the new year and although that is fine in itself, many of those good resolutions are also dashed relatively quickly. A good resolution only makes sense if you are ready for it, you fully support it and is of course not related to the start of the new year. But it gives you a fresh feeling if you immediately give up one of the bad habits in the new year.
Force of habit
The power of habit is the culprit for many bad qualities. Think about smoking, most cigarettes are smoked out of habit and only a few cigarettes are smoked because that cigarette is also experienced as tasty at that moment. Eating more than is good for you often works in a similar way. The coffee is tasty and one cookie is fine, but the second and third are not necessary for that delicious taste. Or think of the hot meal that tastes good, if you eat quietly you will feel full after about 20 minutes and of course you can add some more, but it must be done. That second bragging is just too much and you often notice that a little later.
Just go down the list of bad habits and you will see that it is often the culprit. So you can take steps in the right direction by breaking that habit. On the one hand it is creating awareness and on the other hand it is getting ahead of yourself and arranging things in advance. The chance of misleading yourself becomes significantly smaller.
Step-by-step plan for successful implementation of good intentions
If you create a step-by-step plan with concrete content, you may have to push yourself to do it in the beginning. But once you have made that start, you can slowly work towards embedding that good intention into your daily life. The ultimate goal, making it second nature, is achieved by being strict with yourself in the beginning and sticking to the plan. So don’t expect to enjoy it straight away, at most enjoy your own tenacity to make it a success. But you really have to do it yourself!
Make it concrete immediately
If you intend something, make it concrete immediately. Just saying no more sweets does not necessarily mean no more sweets. For some, there should be nothing in the house and for others it is the balance of normally replacing that sweet with something else that is healthy. Provide some easy snacks that are easy to grab, but don’t have the calories of candy. Or exercising is when you start exercising, for example after a light dinner or in the morning before breakfast. Make things visible and if it is early in the morning, wake up early. This way you avoid making excuses for yourself, as it were, you trip over your sports equipment.
Reward yourself
Just as you can give a child a reward for good behavior, you can also do so calmly when carrying out your intention well. There is nothing wrong with that. And whether this is a nice breakfast after a nice run, or buying a nice piece of clothing when you realize the distance you have to run within the previously determined time, it doesn’t matter. Think about it in advance!
What is the result?
Imposing something on yourself can be punishing for some people, while you can also think about what you want to achieve. Losing weight will soon mean being at least 2 sizes smaller and being able to buy and wear nice jeans or that nice bikini with hip pants. Stopping smoking will soon mean being able to take the stairs with ease and ditching the elevator, or if you are going to exercise, you will soon be able to walk around the lake in a specific time.
Track your actions
To make it more fun and motivate yourself even more, keeping track of your lap around the lake and getting closer to that ultimate time is also a challenge. When quitting smoking, try taking stairs and you may not do it flawlessly yet, but you will soon notice that you get more light and therefore it becomes easier to climb those stairs. So that feels good and you have to create such a feeling.
See the fun in it
Above all, if you do it reluctantly, the chance of success in the future becomes smaller. If you make it second nature, it will be easier for you to see the fun in it. At some point you no longer know anything other than what is part of you, such as eating and drinking, sleeping and doing things every day. just fill in what you want to work on. Some perseverance helps, but if you really want it, everyone can have it!