Top tips to make your New Year’s resolutions stick

If you feel that you are truly ready for some change this New Year, read on for ten top life-coaching tips on choosing your resolutions carefully and advice on how to stick to them, from Sahar Moussly.

1. Write down your goals 
When deciding on your New Year’s resolutions, put pen to paper and make a list of all the things you really want in your life. Then divide these goals into short term and long-term goals. Map out how you intend to achieve these with key steps and milestones along the way to reaching them. This will help you to stay focused, view your progress and keep you motivated.

2. Keep Fit and Lose Weight Start by taking a daily walk of half an hour. This will help you to keep fit, burn some calories and make you feel happy by motivating endorphin hormone production. Then keep a journal of your eating patterns. This will work to create awareness of your bad habits, thereby making it easier to break them.

3. Time-management In the modern world in which we live, time-management can be a major issue for the most organised of us. If you feel you have no time for exercise, family or simple relaxation, planning your days and weeks better can help you to achieve a better work-life balance. Write down the list of things you have to accomplish the next day and start with the hardest task. Teach yourself some discipline. No discipline, no success.

4. Boost your self-esteem A lack of self-esteem is a common cause of many of the situations we often find it difficult to break free from. To build your self-confidence, start with creating a mantra (affirmations) and repeat to yourself on a daily basis. Mantras can help to affirm any range of qualities. Here are some examples:

· I am a leader, I lead not follow

· I build not destroy

· I am a force for good

· I am a calm person and can deal with whatever life throws at me

5. Feel your fears and do it anyway Taking action can often combat worrying and anxiety. Whether our most feared situations are likely to take place or not, there are certain things we can do to transform our negative thought patterns and either prevent, or prepare ourselves for, the worst. If a new and positive state of mind is on your list of things you want to achieve this New Year, make a list of all the things you can do to deal with your fears rather than let your fears hinder your movement in life.

6. Get Paid What You’re Worth and Spend Less Than You Earn It sounds simplistic, but many people struggle with this first basic rule. Make sure you know what your job is worth in the marketplace, by conducting an evaluation of your skills, productivity, job tasks, contribution to the company, and the going rate, both inside and outside the company, for what you do. Being underpaid even a thousand dollars a year can have a significant cumulative effect over the course of your working life. Save money — recession, recession, recession, that’s all we hear nowadays. Learn to think before you reach for the credit card.

7. Volunteer Giving doesn’t just happen at Christmas. Volunteering is a great way to have unique experiences. Giving back to the society makes you feel great and helps you in overcoming your own problems.

8. Learn Something New 
Have you vowed to make this year the year to learn something new? Perhaps you are considering a career change, want to learn a new language, or just how to fix your computer? Whether you take a course or read a book, you’ll find education to be one of the easiest, most motivating New Year’s resolutions to keep. Challenge your mind in the coming year, and your horizons will expand.

9. Be happy Why not aim for the stars? Everything in your life can be great, or at least tolerable. We should always realise that happiness comes from within.

10. Allow for some failure 
It isn’t realistic to think you’ll make 
it through an entire year without failure, none of us are perfect. A resolution that doesn’t account for any slip-ups 
is one that’s designed to fail. Find ways to make up for mistakes, and don’t be too hard on yourself. Mistakes are 
part of life.

For more information and to seek the help of a success coach, visit 
www.lifeinharmony.me or write to sahar@lifeinharmony.me or 
camellia@lifein harmony.me