More than half of all resolutions fail and for good reason – they are simply unattainable! Some of the top new year resolutions include a healthier diet and to commit to an exercise regime. But more often than not, we expect our habits to change overnight – and this is the number one pitfall in committing to new year resolutions.Â
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Here are 5 ways to realistically achieve your goals in 2021:
1. Motivate yourself positively
Studies have shown that by simply phrasing your new year’s resolution positively, one is more likely to commit to their goals.
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Instead of saying “My teeth are so out of shape I need to straighten them”, try saying “I will achieve a straighter smile sooner if I start a clear aligner treatment now.”
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If your goal is to lose weight, instead of beating yourself down and saying “Urgh I can’t fit into those skinny jeans I need to lose the weight”. Try saying “I will be able to fit into my jeans if I start working out regularly”.
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Notice how the positive statement always begins with “I will…” and ends off with a specific action to take? In contrast if you opted to focus on the negative side right from the start, you’re literally paralysing yourself into inaction. People are rarely kept motivated by fear and negativity.
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So be kind to yourself – use the positive side of things to keep moving towards your goals.
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2. Understand why you want to make a change
Unhealthy behaviours like overeating and smoking have immediate, pleasurable payoffs as well as costs. Yet, we still do it. Sometimes our motivations may not be as straightforward as they seem, and we have to dig deeper within ourselves why we want to make that change.Â
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For instance, if your goal is to be more organised, remind yourself what it was like to be disorganised. Maybe you’ve had enough of the constant rescheduling of meetings and the feeling of falling behind your deadlines.Â
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Remembering why you want to make a change is just as important as goal setting, as it keeps our eyes on the prize.
3. Sharing your goals
You’ve probably heard the saying “If you’re going to talk, you’ve got to walk the talk”.
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By sharing your goals, it allows you to be accountable for your progress. You also tend to be more realistic in your goal setting.
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Try surrounding yourself with friends who are keen to achieve the same goals as you are. The sense of accountability and community around you would motivate you to keep up with your progress.
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Which is exactly what Izzudin experienced as he shared his smile journey!
"Wow... I just smiled and showed my siblings. They saw the difference too and were happy for me."
4. Cultivate long-term habits to meet long-term goals
Change doesn’t happen overnight. Though it’s good to have a big, sweaty, long-term goal, long-term goals are well… long term. And not achieving tangible results immediately may cause you to lose motivation.
This is where long-term habits really make or break your success. Habits take discipline and time to cultivate. They also help you stay the course whenever you slip up along the way. This is exactly why we created the Zenyum app for our invisible braces customers!
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- The app helps you get into the habit of wearing your aligners for the required 22hrs a day
- Sends you reminders to wear and switch to a new pair of aligners in your treatment journey
- And allows you to see the milestones in your smile progress every time you upload your teeth pictures. The more you see your teeth shifting into their rightful place, the more motivated you are to achieve your big, sweaty, long-term goal of a superstar smile!
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Bottom-line: if you’ve set yourself a long-term goal for 2021, make sure you set up some long-term habits that’ll guarantee success.
5. Keep an open mind
It’s a marathon, not a sprint. So expect failures along the way.
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By keeping an open mind, you would be more receptive to criticism and feedback along the way which could make your journey much easier. Sometimes, having a second opinion is vital as it will give you another perspective to a problem you might be facing.
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The fact is: you can’t do it alone. We all need a bit of help every now and then and listening to advice, especially from loved ones can propel us in the right direction to achieve our goals.
