The Truth About Resolutions and How to Stick With Them

Wall really thinks positive about the New Year.

It is January first.  Nablopomo’s prompt for today is: what are my resolutions for 2015.  The topic this month happens to be on habit and coincidentally, my resolutions revolve around curing my bad habits.  Yes, curing; I am a nurse.  I beat up on myself and agonize about things not accomplished last year.  This year, I seek solution (again) to my faults.

I have been thinking about making myself a better person since I started this blog in September. Needless to say, I spent enough time thinking, and now it is time for action.  First, what are my resolutions.

New Year's Resolutions

• Get organized and declutter the house weekly.
• Get more exercise, say, 10,000 steps, at least, three  times a week.
• Study for and pass CCRN exam.

Doing something fun--watching the fireworks at countdown.

• Take care of myself regardless of what my teens decide to do or do not do for the day, or week, or month.

The Truth About Resolutions

To be successful this year with my plan, I pulled these results of a two-year study on New Year’s resolution from the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health website.

• Seventy-seven percent kept their resolutions for 1 week but only 19 per cent for 2 years.
• Successful resolvers have more self-control and willpower.
• Social support and interpersonal tactics help with success after 6 months.
• Counterconditioning is the most effective coping strategies.
• Lack of willpower gets in the way of fulfilling resolutions (duh).
• Fifty-three percent from the successful group slipped at least once, and the lowest number of slips over the two years was 14 times.

Eating out is usually fun for me and Paul

• Slips were typically triggered by a lack of personal control, excessive stress, and negative emotion.

How to Make Resolutions 

Based on the above, my plan of attack to stick with my resolutions are:

• Create a sense of accountability by sharing plans and successes on this blog, Facebook, twitter, or a friend.  This act may raise the bar of responsibility.  Posting or communicating my resolutions may actually increase my accountability to my resolutions and provide support.  
• Try and try until I complete my resolution.  Consistency and hard work make successful resolutions.  If you fall behind schedule or get distracted by my teens, for example, I sidetracked for any reason, I will refocus.  I will not surrender easily. 
• Give myself small rewards for accomplishing tasks towards the fulfillment of resolutions.  For example, I will postpone reading Facebook updates until I exercise or organize my stuff.  I will only do social networking when my tasks are done (Yoga, praying, exercise, studying).

Today, I got my exercise out of the way, started reading a book on organizing, and ate out (taking care of myself after an argument with daughter).  Then I checked friends updates on Facebook and “liked” some pictures (my favorite past time).

Did you do anything today to accomplish your New Year’s resolution?