How to Keep a New Year’s Resolution

February 3, 2010

Have you ever had January 1st role around and been steadfast on a resolution for the coming year, only to have broken it by February? Have you ever considered that this could reflect a lack of mental toughness on your part?

Whether it’s losing weight, quitting smoking, getting organized or climbing out of debt, everyone CAN obtain their goals.

People need to focus on their thoughts, beliefs, philosophies and attitudes – otherwise they are setting themselves up to fail before they even begin.

Here are a few suggestions for people who really want to achieve their 2010 resolutions:

Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is. Many times the only thing that separates winners from losers is the thought process. Winners have a “whatever it takes” attitude. They’ve made the decision to pay any price and bear any burden in the name of victory.
Expect to feel pain or suffer. Most people feel the pain or run into an obstacle and seek escape. Have a plan to push forward when this happens. If you’re not ready to suffer during adversity, you’re not going to be successful.
Developing a world-class self-talk may be the most powerful mental toughness tool.
Take risks. Don’t always have a “play it safe” or “stay below the radar” mentality. Without risk, there can be no progress.
Avoid delusion and operate from objective reality.
Feed your visions and starve your fears.
Don’t focus on how to do it, but rather, why should I do it? Why do I want this goal to become a reality? The intensity of emotion with which this question is answered will determine whether the dream comes alive or dies.
Embrace nonlinear thinking. Don’t give into the negative thoughts that the goal is impossible. Ask yourself how can it be done?
Get really clear about what you want to change. Define what it is and then get totally committed to doing it.
Compartmentalize your emotions and focus completely on the goal.
Stop caring about what other people think about your dreams. Psychologists call it “approval addiction”, and once you overcome it to any significant degree, you are free of the psychological chains that bind most people from ever experiencing world-class success.

The number one New Year’s resolution is losing weight and getting fit. The number of gym memberships skyrockets this time of year, dropping back to normal levels with each passing month. The reason: People don’t have the mental toughness to stick with it. Here are a few examples of the mindsets of overweight people vs. the mindsets of fit people:

Overweight people believe diet and exercise are an added burden in life – fit people see diet and exercise as a mandatory habit for optimal physical and mental health, and longevity.
Overweight people see diet and exercise as drudgery that can only be tolerated for short periods of time – fit people see diet and exercise as a strategy for a lifetime to keep them healthy, looking good and feeling great.
Overweight people view diet and exercise as a chore – fit people see exercise as personal development.
Overweight people believe diets don’t work – fit people believe people don’t work.

The bottom line: whether it’s losing weight or another goal you are looking to accomplish, it’s time to get mentally tough. If you want to experience a level of success like the great ones, you must learn to think like one of the great ones.


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Steve Siebold is a former professional tennis player and national coach. He’s the author of 177 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class and Die Fat or Get Tough: 101 Differences in Thinking Between Fat People and Fit People. Siebold’s mental toughness clientele include world-class athletes, Fortune 500 Companies, and entrepreneurs. Mr. Siebold is considered one of the fastest rising professional speakers and consultants in the United States and Europe in the field of mental toughness training.

To learn more, visit:
www.speakerstevesiebold.com
www.mentaltoughnesssecrets.com
www.govesiebold.com
www.diefatbook.com