Commitment to Change: Keeping Your Resolutions

Recently, I shared with you my resolutions for 2010. How do we stay true to our resolutions? It’s such a battle, isn’t it? Discussing resolutions with my friends and family, I’ve found that most people admit that they chuck their resolutions by the end of January or February. I thought we might spend most of this week looking at goals and resolutions and how we can hold each other accountable in the blogging world!

I’m starting a new series about new resolutions for 2010, and how we can stick to them! Let’s make this year the year we really do it! By posting my progress here at the Frugal Bookworm, you, dear readers, will be holding me accountable. Let’s see if we can’t help one another reach our goals!

What makes us give up on our resolutions? I used my Facebook status message to ask my friends and loved ones this very question. The general consensus from their responses is that people set their resolutions and expectations for those resolutions too high. Then, by the end of January, if he or she has not obtained their goals, they chuck them by the wayside. For example, for those resolving to lose g weight, my friend Becky pointed to the pitfalls associated with the chocolate-laden holiday of Valentine’s Day. If you fall “off the wagon” at Valentine’s Day, then you might give up on your goal for the rest of the year.


Let’s look at a few ways we might be able to stick to our resolutions.

Make attainable resolutions. You don’t have to shoot for the stars! In education, one thing we are consistently instructed to do is make “measurable” objectives. Think about your resolutions as objective. Ask yourself some important questions: “How can I measure my progress?” Looking at my list of resolutions, some of the resolutions will be easier to measure than others. “Read 30 books in 2010” “Lose 30 pounds in 2010”, and “Finish all craft projects in progress in 2010” are easy enough…I can simply make a list, and check them off as I complete each of these tasks. “Clean out and organize closet”, one of the resolutions I completed, is a bit trickier. Yes, I have already fulfilled this resolution; however, I will have to maintain my closet throughout the year. The two major time periods that cause my closet to get messy are when we switch out our wardrobes for spring/ summer and fall/winter. If I can develop a plan ahead of time, then I should be able to make those transitions a bit easier, thus keeping my resolution.


Find an accountability partner. My readers and friends will hold me accountable for my ten resolutions in 2010. Who will hold you accountable? Ask a friend or your spouse to help you keep a check on how you progress in your resolutions for 2010. Write in a journal and frequently review your entries. Start a blog! If you’re blogging about your progress on your resolutions, please let me know! I would love to encourage you as we reach our goals for this year!


Develop a plan! Write out a list of things you can do to help you reach your resolution. Set yourself some mini-goals and rewards along the way! Plan a special treat for yourself for when you reach your resolution. In my next part of the series, we’ll break down my resolutions into a few plans, and we’ll pick one of my resolutions to develop a more in-depth plan about.


What is your resolution for 2010? Please vote in my sidebar poll! Let me know what you resolve to change in 2010! Please join me soon as we continue this series, “Commitment to Change!”