Some of the most common goals of teenager’s include:
Lose weight
Do something for personal improvement (e.g. learn a new skill, or overcome shyness, etc.)
Do better in school
Exercise more
Quit a bad habit
How to make it happen?
Plan specific steps
Telling your goal to someone you trust helps
Having supportive friends and family is also important, especially when you’re lacking the willpower to go on.
(Survey: Do people really make plans and ask people for support or do they just let things happen?
Survey says: It’s actually a little bit of both. 55% – made specific plans; 45% – just let things happen; 49% – shared their resolution with a friend; 51% preferred to keep it to themselves)
Keeping at it
92% of survey participants are still on target to meet their goals. ]
It’s important to not that these people agreed to falling off course but were able to get back on track. Slipping up is frustrating, and getting back on track is very difficult. It can be tempting to just drop everything.
Slipping up is natural. It’s just your brain trying to reprogram itself to include the "change" in your routine. It’s part of the learning process.
(Survey: how positive are you that you’ll reach your goal? 50% – very confident; 43% – somewhat confident; 7% – didn’t think they’d make it)
Optimism breeds success, success brings motivation.
Staying motivated
Other than being positive and enjoying small successes, here are a few other things that can keep you motivated:
a competitive spirit
the desire for self-improvement
hard work and lots of practice
learning from your mistakes and
being inspired by others who were successful at what they did
knowing that there are people who care
Tough times
A lot of teens undergo serious problems too. It’s not just about getting fit or landing the lead part in your school play. It could be depression, eating disorders and attempted suicide.
One teen who went through these problems say that they’re motivation to work through her problems is the desire not to "end up back in the hospital or dead."
Situations this difficult, a teen’s resolve, not matter how strong, needs lots of support from friends and family.
If you’re dealing with serious issues, do not try to bear it alone. You might end up getting crushed under the weight. Reach out to friends and family. They care for you, love you and will support you in making the change that you want to make.
Focus on accomplishments
Focusing on your little successes can help your stay motivated and reach your goal, instead of thinking about what you’re doing wrong and remembering your slip ups.
Tell your self you much better you fee now after your accomplishments. Also, go easy on yourself. You’re not super human to be able to change at once. Take it one day at a time – until your going a month at a time- before you know it, a year has passed, and you’ve reached your goal.
Lastly, remember that you don’t have to wait for New Year to come to make your resolutions, set your goals and create your plan to achieve them. You have 365 perfectly good days in one year to make a change, it’s all up to you to get started.