5 Tips for a Successful New Year!

It’s that time of year again. We reflect on the past 12 months and look ahead to the New Year and set new resolutions.

On average, about 40% of individuals make New Year’s resolutions, but only 8% of those individuals achieve them. Many don’t even make it past one week! Why? Many people set unrealistic or intangible goals.

So how can you achieve success in the New Year? Follow these 5 simple tips:

1. Keep it Small and Simple

You don’t need a long list of goals. Many people take the New Year as a time to make these long lists of goals. What better time to start, right? Keeping your list of goals small and simple helps you to focus on those goals, especially when life is already pretty busy. Instead of many lofty goals, consider one to two smaller goals that you can focus on and adjust into your life.

Remember, you can make goals any time of the year, so if you complete your initial goals, set some new, small goals.

2. Be Specific: Measure

Saying you want to “lose weight” or “run a race” are great goals, but they are vague, which makes it difficult for success.

Instead, be specific in your goals and measure along the way. If you want to lose weight, make it a plan to “cut out all fast food” or “eliminate one soda from my diet every week”.

If you want to run a race, make a plan to attend the gym every Monday and Wednesday to run on the treadmill. Include a plan of how many miles you want to walk/run each visit.

These are tangible goals that you can easily measure.

3. Visualize Your Success

Most people are visual learners. Visualizing your progress and success are great ways to keep you on track and can keep you accountable. This may include making a vision board, keeping a journal, or even starting a blog that you share with your friends and family showcasing your journey.

Sharing your journey will help keep you accountable and will also give you that support you need to keep going when you may be facing challenges or difficult weeks.

4. Believe in Yourself

Many people believe they do not have the willpower or self-motivation to succeed.
“Mind over matter” is a simple but powerful statement when setting and achieving goals.

“In one study led by a Stanford University psychologist, scientists gauged whether test subjects believed they could exhaust their willpower, and sought to convince them otherwise. The researchers found that people ‘performed better or worse [on tests] depending on their belief in the durability of willpower.’”

Your success will be based on your willpower and belief in yourself.

5. Keep Going

We all face obstacles. If you hit a speed bump along the way, don’t get discouraged. If you have a bad week, take some time to evaluate what happened and start over the next week.

If you’re having a lot of difficulty, consider revising your goal. It may have been too much to begin with, so look for ways to make it more manageable without giving it up completely.

If losing weight is a goal of yours, or someone you know, consider attending one of our free informational classes to learn about our surgical and medical weight loss programs.

Visit our website to register and to learn more about Iowa Weight Loss Specialists.

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Just 8% of People Achieve Their New Year's Resolutions. Here's How They Do It.