3 tips for keeping your resolutions

Dernière mise à jour de l'article le 17 October 2024

This article is part of the event “Your best tip for implementing your good resolutions” from Olivier Roland’s blog Devenez meilleur. I really enjoy this blog, particularly for its articles on personal development and the search for meaning. My favourite article is the series of 6 articles on the meaning of life and more particularly The meaning of life – Discover your purpose.

In this article, I share 3 tips for putting your resolutions into practice.

Tip 1: Define your resolution goals!

Keeping and applying your resolutions starts with defining them!
Define objectives that are concrete, measurable and time-bound… In short, apply the SMART method: S M Specific– Esurable – Achievable– Realistic – Time-bound.

For those of you who are not yet familiar with this magical method, I’m going to illustrate it with an example that generally speaks to everyone.

Suppose you want to lose weight this year.
It’s decided, this year will be the year of change, and for once you’re going to keep the resolution you made between two glasses of champagne on the first day (or rather the first night) of the year!

Instead of saying to yourself, « I want to lose 15 kgs », instead define your goal as follows « I want to go from 100 kgs to 85 kgs », this will help you visualise what those 15 kgs represent more clearly.

Next … Do you think this is possible?
On the face of it, yes, because you’ve already done it in the past.
You’ve already managed to get back to your ideal weight of 85 kgs. That’s why you want to lose those 15 kg. So you know it’s possible.

Great! When do you want to reach 85 kg?
30 June 2020, just before the holidays. By setting a precise date, you’ll be able to better identify and define the milestones you need to reach, and check them regularly.

Reaching 85 kgs by 30 June 2020 means losing between 2 and 3 kgs a month. Does that sound realistic for you?
On the face of it, yes. By exercising and eating a healthier diet, it should be possible.

And how would you know if you’ve really lost weight?
For example, you probably have a weighing scale at home, so you could weigh yourself at the beginning of each month to check whether you’ve actually lost what you were supposed to. It’s important to identify a way of monitoring progress towards your goal, otherwise you won’t be able to readjust your aim if you go off track.

Brilliant! You’ve turned your great resolution into a SMART objective!

However, that’s not really enough to achieve and follow your objectives, but it’s a good start towards success.

You’re already beginning to imagine the steps you’ll need to take to keep and apply this resolution.

Tip 2: Why have you decided to make this good resolution?

To increase your chances of success, you need to know why you’re doing it.

What makes this resolution important to you? Identify the value behind your desire to achieve this goal.

If you don’t know what your personal values are or how to identify them, take a look at the article How can I identify the values that help me get ahead in life?

Let’s go back to our previous example: what prompted you to set this goal? To feel better? To be healthier?

Suppose you want to do it to improve your health.
Why is it important for you to be healthier? To feel better?
What does being in good health actually mean to you?
What could you do once you’ve achieved this goal?
And if you don’t achieve this goal, what happens to you?

These are a few questions that will help you to better identify the reasons and values that motivate you to achieve this goal.

Take a few minutes to think about these questions.

By understanding what motivates you, you’ll be able to better define the action levers you need to implement.

If you decide to call on a coach to help you achieve this goal, he or she will ask you this type of question during your sessions 😉.

Once the values have been identified, the action plan you define will be more fluid and meaningful on a daily basis.

Tip 3: Are you in control?

Finally, if you want to keep the commitments you made at the start of the year, you need to check that you’re the only one in charge!

If you set an objective where a third party has to intervene to make it happen, you’re in trouble!

We can’t control what other people do, only our own behaviour and actions.

And then, if we fail, the excuses will be a little easier: « it’s not my fault », « it’s the other person who didn’t keep their promise and so I couldn’t keep mine »…

To get the year off to a good start, make sure that your goals are entirely up to you.

To sum up: the key points

• Define your objectives using the SMART method. This will help you visualise your resolutions more clearly.
• Identify the values that drive your resolutions. This will make your action plan more effective and engaging.
• Make sure that your resolutions depend solely on your actions; you must be in control of your objectives.

If you want a daily reminder, you can download the guide How to set an effective goal using the SMART method, available in the La Tribu Community Resource Library.

3 bonuses to take you further …

Let’s get going! Before I leave you, I’d like to share three little bonuses for the road:

1. Write down your goals in a small notebook. It’s been proven that our goals are 40% more likely to come true if we write them down. Every month, write down the milestones you’ve reached.
2. Get yourself a buddy. It’s always more engaging to share your goals with someone who will call you back later when your brain is playing tricks on you, for example, in the evening in front of a good restaurant.
3. Define an action plan associated with this objective for 12 months, 6 months, 3 months and 1 month. What are you actually going to do to lose those 15 kg? Identify the actions you need to take right now. These are the things you will note down in your diary.

And there you have it! Don’t hesitate to share your other tips in the comments.

Here’s another article that might interest you, in which I share 5 tips for getting the New Year off to a good start !