Keep your New Year's resolutions (From Gazette Series)

Keep your New Year's resolutions

WHY will so many of us start 2006 with fantastic New Year's resolutions yet within days or weeks have given up on them totally? Sure, we may manage to keep the odd resolution during our lifetime but for most it is a losing battle. Deborah Parker, a life coach from Dursley, says she can dramatically increase your chances of keeping those resolutions.

CONSIDER why people make resolutions. It is usually because there is some aspect of their lives that they want to change for the better. However, instead of focusing on the great benefits they will achieve by making this change, they focus on what they are giving up and so fail. It is important to concentrate on the positive results and the value this will add to your life and not what you are missing out on.

Deborah also offers some pointers about why so many people struggle to make changes. There are two main reasons. The first is that they try and change the habits of a lifetime overnight, this abrupt shift is very difficult for the mind and body to work with, potentially creating 'cold turkey' (pardon the pun) like symptoms. The second is that they attempt to do it alone. The inspiration and support of a non-judgmental third party can be the difference between getting the results you want and not.

Many coaching clients believe that thinking about the resolution is enough to kick start the process. Apparently we are four times more likely to achieve our goals if we write them down and 10 times more likely to succeed if we regularly review them.

However, you do need to take action and this is where a lot of people fall down. The real reason for inactivity is not a lack of will power but the lack of a strong enough reason to follow through. The important thing is to spend time exploring the real reasons for change and what motivates people to really go for it. Then you must to look at the steps needed to achieve success whilst providing that essential support and accountability along the way.

Some further pointers to success are to be realistic and ensure that any new activities are enjoyable and fit in with your existing life style with only minimal modification. If the changes are substantial the reasons will have to be too. And finally, the journey of success should be as enjoyable as the end result.

Remember, you can start work on a new solution to your life at any time. The power of personal change is just too good to be limited to the first few days of the year and it really is possible to keep every resolution without fail.

Deborah Parker is always happy to discuss her approach to life coaching and is offering a free 15-minute consultation to all Gazette readers. She can be contacted during normal office hours on 01453 543858 or by email at deborah@acoachforlife.co.uk or visit her website www.acoachforlife.co.uk