The science-backed way to keep any new year’s resolution – Greatist

December 30, 2015

By Jeff Cattel

We drank the holiday Kool-Aid, and now we’re full of warmth, cheers, and yes, sweets.  We’re feeling optimistic as January approaches.  This is totally the year we’re going to save money, meditate or learn to speak French.

But the stats aren’t in our favor: Fewer than 10 percent of people who make New Year’s resolutions actually keep them.  “It’s just a wish,” says Edwin Locke, Ph.D., one of the pioneers of goal-setting theory.  “If you’re going to be serious, you have to plan, keep records, and you may even need outside help.”

The good news is that Locke and other researchers have conducted decades of research to figure out the foolproof way to make and achieve goals.  All that science boils down to seven steps, which we’ve shared in the handy, printable checklist below.

One question to ask before you get started: Are you ready?  Sure, it sounds obvious or even a little silly, but you really need to figure out if you’re prepared to make a change, says Caroline Adams Miller, a goal-setting expert and author of “Creating Your Best Life.”  If the answer is “yes,” start with step one below:

Keep New Year s Resolution With These Science Backed Tips Greatist

 

To read the rest of the article on the Greatist website, click here.  To read a PDF of the full article, click here.

Caroline Adams Miller

Caroline Adams Miller, MAPP is a pioneer with her ground-breaking work in the areas of goal-setting/accomplishment, grit, happiness and success. Caroline is the author of seven books, including Positively CarolineMy Name is Caroline,  Creating Your Best Life and Getting Grit Live Happy Magazine named Creating Your Best Life one of the top ten goal-setting books ever published and Getting Grit one of the ten books that will change your life in 2017.  She has been featured in BBC World NewsThe New York TimesThe Washington Post, USA Today, U.S. News &World Report, ABC, CBS, NBC, NPR and CNN.  Caroline  is a graduate of Harvard University and holds a Master’s degree in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. And, she has more than three decades of unbroken recovery from bulimia.

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1 Response
  1. I plan to exercise 6 days out of each week, dancing, lifting weights and skating. I will lose all my belly fat within the next 18 months to look good and feel better for my 50th high school reunion. I have all the equipment in my backyard and have done 13 weeks chunks of this practice a few times in the past, once losing 17 pound of fat and gaining 7 pounds of muscle in 13 weeks at age 62, so I know I can do it. I also plan to integrate energy healing methods into this program, which enable me to lift heavier loads and to prevent next day soreness even if I haven’t been lifting lately.

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