New Year's resolution undone?

Not on top of your new years' resolutions? Don't beat yourself up. You're not alone. Leave the resolutions (and the negative thoughts about not being able to keep them) behind and recreate resolutions into intentions?

Take a blank sheet of paper with a line going down the middle and list a resolution on the top of each page. Below it:

1. Positive focus - Write out the resolution so it's a positive. Instead of 'I need to lose weight' (-), make it 'I want to be leaner and stronger'(+). This will help move you past whatever reasons you haven't accomplish this goal before.


2. Prioritize - Shuffle the pages so that priority one is on top, number two is next and so on...


3. Say why it's important - one sentence, for our lean and stronger example I say it's for my health and enjoying life to the fullest.
   
4. Take baby steps - Below the newly thought out intention, write out 3 steps you need to take to start your journey in achieving this goal. If your goal is to be leaner and stronger, perhaps joining a gym is a good idea. One step would be to decide how much you can budget for a gym membership. Step two may be calling around and find a couple of gyms that fit your budget. Step three might be taking a tour of these local gyms to see their facilities.


5. Quantify the costs - Estimate costs both in time and money. In our 'leaner and stronger' example, the gym membership may cost $40 a month but also an hour and a half of time three to four times a week.
   
6. Draw a timeline - Write down milestones for obtaining the overall goal. Our leaner and stronger example could have lengths of jogs (10 minutes,, 2 miles, etc.) as milestones. You may want to work up to a local marathon. You may want to go hiking with friends on a vacation and not always be the 'tail-end'. The objective is to not be overwhelmed but have some goals to achieve scattered throughout the year.
   
7. Be open - Be open to help, find a friend to join you in achieving the same goal, find a mentor, find someone to talk to about your progress. In my leaner and stronger example, I sat down with a registered dietitian to talk about how I eat and how I like to eat. It really opened my eyes as to how I sabotage my energy with what I do and don't eat.
   
8. Write it down, post it where you'll see it - Keep the goal in your face.
   
9. Don't fret about not getting to 'intention #5' - Concentrate on a few great goals that are the most important to you.