If you had to list the typical resolutions we all make year after year the likelihood is we would all come up with similar goals. But which ones have you or will you be making?
Psychology researchers at Berkley revealed in a study this past year that around 76% of people in America will be making a New Year’s Eve resolution this year, amidst the fireworks and public revelry that always accompanies the ringing in of a new year.
After the “honeymoon period” of the resolutions wears away, one saying that always truly gets to me and is essentially just giving the green light for failure(s) to come is “and if you fail, there’s always next year, right?”
When in fact the clearest response I can give is another old saying “a failure to plan=prepare to fail.”
One thing many fail to realize is they select only one resolution of many they are considering, without noticing this could be an opportunity to revamp their life as a whole! Use one resolution to help facilitate the next, and so on.
Being a Fitness Professional, it is my nature to view the big picture (Macrocycle), then determine how to take the appropriate steps and what those steps are (Microcycle), that will essentially ensure the success of reaching this overall big picture. Therefore, if I can utilize a couple of key elements in order to accomplish many goals (many birds with one stone?) along the way, I hammer it home!
You wouldn’t open a an interest building savings account, then wait 6 months before depositing money into it. You wouldn’t lease a car, but keep spending money taking the bus to work just because. You wouldn’t buy a house, but keep sleeping in your tent out front. So why would you do anything without “hammering it home?”
Some people say work smarter, not harder. Personally, I believe we should all work smarter AND harder! We haven’t always had technology around to automatically simplify things(work smarter). We all could have done a lot better back when all we had was a hard-work ethic and some rough callused hands(work harder), if we would have had a little bit of technology to assist. BUT, if you use the dedicated work-ethic with the sight of worn-hands(work harder), in combination with today’s technology (work smarter) and intelligence, you’re looking at an incredibly armed work force and community of successful individuals, both in work & home!
Try using this train of thought & process with your New Year’s Resolutions, and watch how quickly you’ve not only regained control of your life, but have managed to accomplish much more ground in half the time anticipated.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common resolutions, and how you can use one to boost the other…
What are some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions?
“Learn Something New”
Learning even one new thing to make you a better person can make a big difference when it comes to your life feeling & fulfillment. What do you want to get better in/at?
“Spend More Time with Family/Friends”
Take your life out of the home, off the TV & computer, and into the community. Face to face interaction with our family/friends has become something of the past here in the past years.
Don’t just send your Aunt Melanie an e-mail, stop by her house and shoot the stuff with her. Don’t just call your buddy Jo when you need him to cut you a deal on a new air conditioner because he owns the business, go by and take him fishing. Whatever it is and whoever it is, get out there and do it with your family and friends.
“Get Out of Debt”
There are NUMEROUS different methods of going about this, but the most obvious first step to analyze your current spending. More often than not, you will find that by changing something you ACTUALLY can not only save $$$, but also get more for less. Most of us setup our consistencies, and never review them again. Meaning we setup our energy company for our home, our insurance for our cars, even our gym memberships. Then we pay them month after month, year after year, without ever reviewing and comparing to see if we could save by switching providers etc. Use the masses of competition to get what YOU want, at YOUR price.
“This year, I resolve to lose weight/ get fit.”
This is the resolution that most gym and fitness clubs like to stake their January earnings on. With more than 78% of American adults considered overweight or obese, many make a promise to lose the beer gut or muffin-top in the light of a new year.
Gyms and fitness clubs are more than happy to facilitate this resolution, with “membership discounts” and “trial offers” usually made available in the early months of a new year. However, the average gym membership ranges from $400-$1,200 a year, for the membership only. Where most get stuck is they purchase the gym membership with gleaming eye on saving on a joining fee etc. What they don’t tell you is how you can end up TRIPLING your annual fees if you take full-advantage of the gym.
So, the entire reason for getting the gym membership was to lose weight & get fit. But without the help of a personal trainer, you’re just left with magazine and internet jargon telling you how to use the cookie-cutter workout to get the Kim K. booty in 3 days, right?
So tack on the trainer fees on top of the gym fees, you’ve just eliminated you’re previous resolution to SAVE MONEY and get out of debt!
Next you ask your trainer to let your Aunt Melanie or your Uncle Jo (from your family section above) to come workout at your next session with you. You find out it’s an additional fee for group training, plus they have to pay some fee for one-time visit to the gym. Your Aunt Melanie or Uncle Jo either back out, or you’re forced to pony up more $$$.
Therefore, you just lost either one or even two other previous resolutions: Save money and spend time with family, tragic.
Did you know you can get a private Personal Trainer for less than a gym membership? A gym membership card doesn’t hold you accountable or make sure your form is right, but a trainer does.
“This year, I resolve to get out of debt/ save more money/ make more money.”
Finances are often one of the major stresses in daily life, making this resolution a major one. Whether you’re spending too much, not saving enough, or not making enough, penny-saving tips and tricks can be found relatively easily online.
Planning guides and financial consultations are usually made available at your local bank branch as well, so take advantage of all the advice you can gather.
If you’re looking for more specialized/individual planning for you and your family’s finances, there are numerous financial planners locally of whom specialize in such. One of the quickest ways to get your finances in line, proper tax preparation, and quality referrals to the appropriate professionals.
Although there are numerous resources and options out there, the first step is to contact the best of the best, and Diane Fulmer CPA is just that. (http://www.DianeFulmerCpa.com)
“This year, I resolve to spend more time with my family and friends.”
Showing that not all resolutions are entirely selfish, many people acknowledge that despite the significant presence of social media sites such as Facebook, the necessity for further face-to-face interaction between friends and family is a resolution to put energy into.
Besides, you can poke someone more easily in real life than on Facebook, right?
“This year, I resolve to get organized.”
To some extent, every aspect of your life is a “choice.” Similarly, every aspect of your life requires some measure of organization. Even if the organization isn’t currently organized at all, it is still measurable and therefore still organized.
Take this resolution seriously, and apply your building principles for this to EVERY facet of your day and night. As Benjamin Franklin said, “For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.”
(that should help with your previous resolution!)
Conclusion:
So regardless of which one of these resolutions you have already taken up or plan to activate in the coming days, remember that the key to achieving the desired outcome comes down to three things; perseverance, organization & resources (and calling the right trainers 
).