Easy Step by Step Ways to Keep Your New Years Resolution

January 2, 2008

Step 1 is easy - Don’t make any resolutions!

But if you do insist on making one or several resolutions for 2008 then I’m going to give you some easy ways to keep them. Over the next few posts I’ll be working my way through some of the most common resolutions.

Let’s start with one I have a huge amount of personal experience with.

Giving Up Smoking - for good!

There are a million ways to do this and most of them involve spending a fortune on patches, gum and gimmicks. I have another way that takes some effort but doesn’t cost a cent.

When I gave up I read ‘Alan Carr’s Easy Way to Stop Smoking’ and there was only one line (and I’m paraphrasing) in the whole book that really resonated with me.

“If I have another cigarette I will smoke for the rest of my life”

Now, the trick is to say this whilst picturing the most ghastly old lady with no teeth and horribly wrinkled skin dragging hard on a cigarette. NLP in action. Say it to yourself every time you want a cigarette and everytime you see someone else smoking. The visualisation is also incredibly important and one doesn’t work without the other. Everytime you crave a cigarette, picture yourself as the scary old lady, imagine what you would look like at 80 with a cigarette hanging out of your mouth. Same with everyone else you see smoking.

No amount of telling yourself it’s bad for you will stop those little nicotine monsters from gnawing at you making you think your head will explode if you don’t have that next cigarette soon…especially when you’re out with friends having a drink or chatting to one of your girlfriends on the phone. Perhaps though…appealing to your sense of vanity will make the process easier to endure.

Next post we’ll look at Getting Fit. For this post I’ll be recruiting some outside help from some gorgeous girls (my surfing buddies) and boys. Check it out later this week.