Dear Readers,
With a New Year comes new resolutions for many of us. I’ve never really much been into the idea of New Year’s Resolutions. Sure, I’ve made them in the past (and subsequently kept some and broken others). But one of the problems with many traditional resolutions is that they are finite — one specific goal meant to be achieved and after that you’re done. But things can change very much in any given year. And while such specific goals can be very good, they aren’t going to necessarily carry you through a whole year of self-improvement.
That is why AAFM is recommending broadening those resolutions. Yes, I want you to choose even bigger and better resolutions to tackle. And yes, in some ways achieving such broad goals will be more difficult, but it also has potential to improve much more in your life than just one finite resolution or goal. And the more chances you have to see improvements in your life, the more likely you are to stick to change. Plus, I know you can do it!
Here are AAFM’s top tips for your best New Year’s Resolutions yet:
Choose a word or phrase, instead of making a finite goal your resolution. There are so many words or phrases to choose from and whatever you settle on will be a personal choice best suited to your life and goals right now. Examples include: motivation, organization, gratitude, effort, patience, understanding, responsibility, etc. Once chosen, write it out on a piece of paper and put it in a photo frame. Place the framed word or phrase somewhere you will see often. The great thing about choosing a word as a resolution is that it can be applicable to so many areas of your life — professional, social, personal, etc.
For 2008 I chose “take action” as my resolution phrase. The idea behind my choice was that lots of people have good ideas, but few people act on them — I wanted to be the sort of person who acts on their ideas. The creation of Ask a Fashion Model, my other blog Belle IQ, and my professional website, all had quite a bit to do with my resolution phrase, and were just a few of the goals I achieved in 2008 thanks in part to sticking to my “take action” mantra.
I’ll be continuing to use the “take action” phrase, but my new resolution word for 2009 is “producitvity.” I want to use my time better. I find that while I have been taking action, I could be accomplishing more if I used my time more efficiently.
Make smaller, finite goals throughout the year that reflect your chosen word or phrase. Re-evaluate your progress on them each month. Make a goal board: write out the goals on small pieces of paper and tack them to a cork board under the categories “done” and “to do.” A goal board is a great visual reminder of your progress towards your smaller goals that reflect your resolution phrase. When the “done” list on the board gets too full, take some of them down and place them in an envelope that says “accomplished goals.” Every now and then you can look through this envelope of accomplishments — you’ll feel great about what you have already achieved and this will motivate you to continue moving forward with your present goals.
Write down how you will achieve those goals. You can’t just expect yourself to magically find your way without mapping out how you will achieve something. Improve your chances of sticking to your resolution word and smaller goals by planning out the path to get there. Make a list of your smaller, finite goals. Under each of those, write what you need to do to accomplish them.
Don’t do it alone. Share your resolution word and related goals with friends or a loved ones. You are more likely to stick to something if you tell others about it — it commits you to it.
Cheers and Happy New Year from AAFM! Thank you, readers, for all of your incredible support. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed running AAFM and look forward to sharing a fantastic year of model beauty, fashion, health, and lifestyle advice with you.
Here’s to a divine 2009,
Jennifer
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