There will be obstacles and sudden changes in circumstances that will hamper our self-commitments.
Have alternatives and back-up plans in such cases, to avoid indulging in something sinful or skipping your workout. Anticipate situations that may occur to help yourself formulate an alternate way.
Hope springs eternal. At least on New Year's. On this first of January, the coming year is a blank slate. It's a time when we can set our goals - to exercise more, to eat less, to perform our best - in the hopes of making 2019 a year that we can look back on with pride.
If we strive to succeed it usually requires hard work. And hard work to achieve your desired goals requires willpower. Willpower, while important, isn't the only thing required for success.
If we are generous, fair and co-operative, we have an invaluable tool to motivate us to complete our goals. If we cultivate good character, compassion, and honesty, it leads to a better chance of success in our endeavors.
Self-control is the ability to regulate and alter responses in order to avoid undesirable behaviors, increase desirable ones, and achieve long-term goals. Research has shown that possessing self-control can be important for health and well-being. Common goals such as losing weight, exercising regularly, eating healthy, not procrastinating, giving up bad habits, and saving money are just a few worthwhile ambitions that people believe require self-control.
A 2011 survey found that 27 % of respondents identified a lack of willpower as the primary factor keeping them from reaching their goals.
One study found that students who exhibited greater self-discipline had better grades, higher test scores, and were more likely to be admitted to a competitive academic program.
The study also found that when it came to academic success, self-control was a more important factor than IQ scores.
A health study found that people who were rated as having high levels of self-control during childhood continued to have high levels of physical and mental health in adulthood.
Research has found that self-control is a limited resource. In the long-term, exercising self-control tends to strengthen it.
New Year's Eve is 5 weeks away. That's another 5 weeks of people postponing their dreams and waiting to make New Year's resolutions. The big glittery ball will drop. Fireworks will explode across the sky. Loved ones will kiss and cuddle and shake hands. And 45% of people will pledge that 2017 is the year ...
Instead of complicating the process and making it a big event, just smoothen the daily process. Make a habit of going out to exercise by getting up early, wearing the right clothes, packing the gym bag at night, so that you remove friction from the activity.