You don't need a psychologist to tell you that most people fail to keep New Year's resolutions. And of course if you don't manage to do something you intended doing you're setting yourself up for that awful feeling of failure.
The word 'resolution' sounds so formal and off-putting. I prefer 'goal'. And experts agree that if you write your goals down you're more likely to stick to them. I think you also have to make them realistic and make a distinction between dreams and something more tangible. My dreams for 2010, for example, would include a balloon ride with David Tennant, but I think we know that's unlikely to happen. So my goals for 2010 are less exciting, but more achievable: to eat less and excercise more, to finish all the books I start reading (I'm very bad at this), to shout a bit less and to learn a new skill. (I haven't decided what yet.)
What are your goals for 2010? I'd love to know – and if you share them here, it could help you achieve them.
written by Liz Jarvis