As temporary as it may seem to some individuals, a New Year's resolution is essential in improving one's attitude. Although it may sound difficult or momentary, there are things that may be done to fully achieve your resolutions this year.
To begin with, it would be vital to realize first the purpose of your resolution. Try to find a deeper meaning of what you will be doing and why, for it will define your attitude towards your New Year's resolution. To effectively complete the task, choose to be positive and realistic with your approaches and way of doing things.
As far as science is concerned, an annual resolution is a habit formation. It is not just simply writing down the things you need to do or change, it requires specific methods to attune oneself to the process forming a habit. Thus, one should take a closer look to behavior-environmental cue relationships, according to Forbes. It is critical to understand such relationship as part of habit formation.
To somehow clarify the said relationship, it is best illustrated in one's goal to stop smoking this year. You would have to be aware of when you are more liklely to smoke. Try to recognize your environment when you start to feel like smoking, and identify cues that signal or prompt you to do so.
With the help of those cues and environmental factors, an individual may be able to pre-empt the potential event by diverting the tendencies into something healthier or safer. This would simply mean that you would have to setup cues that would signal an alternative habit that you would like to form.
Apart from understanding the behavior-environmental cue relationships, it is also advisable to learn WOOP or "Wish-Outcomes-Obstacles-Plan." This science was developed by Dr. Gabriele Oettingen to help individuals increase their motivation and completing a certain task, which could be applicable to a New Year's resolution.
By applying the WOOP method, an individual would have a clearer understanding of what he wants and the potential obstacles and outcome of such desire, according to Character Lab. Combining it with other effective scientific approaches, one would likely have a smoother path towards accomplishing a New Year's resolution.
Watch here below a video discussion of WOOP: