Can one really stick to new year’s resolutions?

It’s that time again. A brand new year opens itself to us, unspoiled with its pristine blank pages offered to us and it is time for the traditional ritual of new year’s resolutions!

Despite what we may read or hear a bit everywhere at this time of the year, YES IT IS possible to stick to one’s good resolutions, and NO it is not about dreaming about re-inventing oneself or fantasising about a brand new life.

The start of a new year is a favorable time for initiating changes. Take advantage of this time as the opportunity for a brand new beginning and commit yourself to improving your life. But, that also requires a realistic outlook and the setting of specific measurable goals! Forget resolutions such as “I shall give up sugar” or “I will start exercising” and rather chose “I will limit myself to 2 chocolate squares at the end of a meal” or “I will walk 30 minutes every day” .

Write down your resolutions (3 or 4 no more) on a piece of paper and do not wait until next year to take stock! Get your list our every month and check: what you have already achieved and what you still need to improve. You can even adjust and add to those resolutions as you go along.

Celebrate each improvement, success and victory 🙂 It will help you sustain your efforts over the long run!

Shut out the saboteurs!

Those around you, friends, family, work colleagues also play a supportive or subversive role in achieving the changes you want to make.

Do not allow the nay sayers with their “the best resolution is no resolution” or “what’s the point, it’s ridiculous, you’ll never make it” throw you off course. Such negative attitudes stem from their own fear of failure and does not concern you, this year you’ll show them what you are made of!

Accept that you won’t be able to ignore every pessimist around you, so seek out the support of allies and partners to counterbalance the negative influences. You can for example join our ULTRA-MOTIVATED band of BootCampers on our Facebook group.

Beware of self sabotage

Do not give up. If you haven’t managed to implement your good resolutions in the first month, or if you feel yourself slip back into old habits after a few weeks, it does not mean that its all over!

Pick yourself up, dust yourself down and get back on the horse. Accept that your journey will meet obstacles but do not let them get you down, do not let guilt take hold of you and keep going with your goal firmly in mind 🙂 .

Learn to spot challenging situations that might steer you away from your good resolutions. That will help you greatly avoid tripping over the same stumbling blocks that daily life will not fail to lay in your way time and time again!

Learn to spot self sabotage alarm bells:

• I find more and more excuses and I blame circumstances or others
• I don’t check my resolution list each month to avoid looking at the truth or dealing with the real problem
• I procrastinate and delay taking immediate action.

Learn to spot those tendencies and pay attention to the alarm bells they set off.

So, shall we get on with it and get this resolution list down? Yes!

Valérie Orsoni
Your “LeBootCamp Diet” Coach