Creating New Year’s Resolutions That Work!

New Year’s Resolutions

1. Why do people make New Year’s Resolutions?

1. As the New Year approaches and you contemplate becoming part of the 45% of Americans who usually set New Year’s resolutions, you can either set yourself up for success or failure. The beginning of the year starts a new season. People are naturally inclined to want to better themselves. Failure does not have to be your outcome. You can actually use the start of a new year to make significant changes that can make a lasting impact on your life. Challenges Americans face include financial freedom, education, health, Interpersonal Relationships and Communication. Often, the life goals we set are within these areas. Consider the following points.

2. Why do New Year’s Resolutions Fail?

1. They are not specific enough and you must have some form of accountability worked into the goal. Here are some examples of bad resolutions.
   1. Exercise more.
   2. Eat healthier.
   3. Learn to salsa dance.
2. These are all bad goals to have, mainly because each one lacks specificity. This is a general theme with New Year’s Resolutions, and it’s why I don’t even use the term myself, and always prefer to model my life improvements around goals.
3. I’ve talked about this before, but it bears repeating: To reach your goals, you have to actually have a goal. You need an end-point that you can visualize and know for sure whether or not you’re on track, and when you’ve achieved it.

3. What Represents a Good New Year’s Resolution?

1. A good resolution is specific and can be visualized and measured. A good resolution is time specific relevant and attainable
   1. Read 60 books by August.
   2. Restrict pasta and sodas to 1 day per week (Saturday only).
   3. Be ready to salsa dance confidently as a very solid beginner by August.

4. What are some Rules for making your New Year’s Resolution?

1. Set short-term goals.
   1. Choose “Monthly Resolutions” every 30 or 31 days instead of New Year’s resolutions once a year. Break down your larger goal into shorter goals.
2. Create momentum.
   1. Knock off a few important steps early in the process.
   2. For example, say your resolution is save 500 dollars by March. If you have a pretty good idea that you are behind in your savings, don’t wait until you have completed an exhaustive and thorough analysis. Bump up your contributions right away — even if it’s only a little bit. Don’t worry about neatly fitting your goals into a defined formatted and detailed list. Sometimes you just have to jump in.
3. Write down your goals and share them with a friend (or two).
4. Know your level of commitment to your goal. On a scale from 1 to 10 ask yourself how committed you are to the goal.  If your commitment is at a 2, maybe you should pick a different goal to focus on.
5. Allow yourself to feel a sense of accomplishment and progress. Celebrate your successes.
6. Don’t let setbacks derail your momentum. Change is a process and it does not happen overnight. This is why it is important to have a support system that will encourage you and hold you accountable.
7. Don’t blame your weak will; blame isolation. We do difficult things much better in teams and groups than on our own. I suggest that this year you seek a specific type of goal-oriented companionship. Myers Life Coaching provides accountability, we help you make your goals specific, we provide tools to help you accomplish your goals and we encourage you along the way.