Don’t Make Resolutions! Set Goals!

By Dr Andree Swanson

Another new year and guess what I received in the mail?  Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, 24-hour Fitness and a whole slew of advertisements that weigh in on (no pun intended) those people who believe in the power of the New Year’s Resolution.  While surfing Facebook, a family member posted that she had to park a mile away from the gym.  In a month, parking will return to normal.

To affect change, you must change your behavior.  Norcross, Ratzin, and Payne (1989) conducted a study on 213 adults who made New Year’s resolutions.  “Successful resolvers were also found to report employing significantly more behavioral strategies and less self-blame and wishful thinking than unsuccessful resolvers” (Norcross, Ratzin, & Payne, 1989, Abstract).

Consider creating a vision board, instead of making New Year’s resolutions.  This is not only fun to make, but can be a constant reminder of your focus for the year.  (I used to do this on a large post-it note on my wall).

Picture provided by Dr. Andree Swanson

Here are some tips on how to proceed with your Vision Board.

Picture provided by Dr. Andree Swanson.

To learn more about creating a vision board, visit:

http://marthabeck.com/2008/07/the-subtle-tricks-to-building-an-effective-vision-board/

       

Reference

Norcross, J. C., Ratzin, A. C., & Payne, D. (1989). Ringing in the New Year: The change processes and reported outcomes of resolutions. Addictive behaviors, 14(2), 205-212.