Top 10 Ways to Ensure Success with your Resolutions
It has been said that 60-80% of New Year's resolutions will be
broken within the first two weeks. Personally, I am not a huge
advocate of New Year's resolutions because I believe in setting
and achieving personal goals all year around. However, I do
respect the fact that New Year's resolutions are very popular,
and I understand that the New Year is a very logical time to
start fresh. That being said, I wanted to share with you the top
ten ways to increase the likelihood for success with your New
Year's resolutions.
1. Stick to 1 or 2 important goals. Having a laundry list of all
the things you would like to change in your life can be
overwhelming. Your chances for success are much higher if you
stick to 1 or 2 of your most important goals. This allows you to
concentrate all your energy and focus on these goals. Once you
achieve those goals, you can always set 1 or 2 more.
2. Be realistic. It's okay to think big and want the best, but
it is more important to succeed, so be realistic. Ask yourself
whether or not your goals are reasonable and possible. It is
probably not realistic to set the goal of never yelling at your
kids again. How will you feel about your resolution when your
children test you on a very bad day and you yell? Certainly one
can cut back on yelling and work to find alternative ways to
deal with misbehavior, but an all or nothing attitude may set
you up for failure, and feeling like you've failed can set you
up for more failure. Instead, accept and honor your humanness.
3. Be specific. Be as specific as possible when determining
goals. Articulate how you will measure success and exactly what
you are trying to achieve. Making a resolution to lose weight is
too general. A better choice would be to set a specific and
manageable goal. For example say, "I will lose 25 pounds by June
30, 2006." Be specific when answering the what, when and how.
4. Connect to your motivation for achieving your goal. Why do
you want to achieve this goal? Why now? Make sure your
motivation comes from your heart, and not from your head. In
other words, your goal should be something you really desire,
and not something you know you SHOULD do. Really connect to why
this is so important to you. Pay attention to whether or not you
are being driven by fear or love. Beware of setting goals based
on what someone else in your life thinks you should do. Your
resolutions should come from your authentic self.
5. Examine your belief in your ability to achieve this goal.
What do you believe about your ability to achieve your New
Year's resolutions? If you have tried to reach the same goal
many times before without much success, your confidence could be
wavering. You could be feeding yourself negative messages
without even realizing it. Be conscious about positive thinking.
Remind yourself that you are capable of doing anything you set
your heart to. Tell yourself every day that you have the ability
to take the steps it will take to reach your goal.
6. Create a detailed plan to achieve your goal. Let's say your
resolution is to eliminate the clutter in your home. But how
will you start when the clutter is overwhelming? It may be
helpful to break large goals into intermediate, manageable
steps. Make a list of each area you need to tackle. Then break
each area into even smaller segments that can be tackled easily.
For instance, set time aside to clean out old clothes, then to
organize sweaters, then to throw out old shoes, and finally
arrange clothing by color or type. Don't forget to specify a
time limit for accomplishing each of the smaller steps. Before
you know it, the larger goal will have been met.
7. Recognize that you may encounter obstacles. Most people give
up on their goals because they run into some type of obstacle
along the way. Obstacles can be internal or external. Examples
of internal obstacles include negative self-talk, limiting
beliefs and discipline issues. Some external obstacles are the
lack of time, money or resources. Know in advance what hurdles
you may have to conquer.
8. Identify a plan of action to overcome obstacles. If you are
trying to give up chocolate (I would never try this!), what are
you going to do when you get a craving for chocolate, or when
all your friends are chowing down on chocolate cake? Maybe your
plan would be to carry a sweet substitute with you at all times.
Or perhaps you could involve yourself in a fun activity when the
urge strikes. If your obstacles are tougher and you need more
support, consider hiring a life coach to help you work through
your blocks.
9. Enlist the support of an accountability partner. As you work
towards your goals, it can be very helpful to have someone in
your life to be your support partner. Consider asking your
partner or friend to help you stick to the resolutions you have
set. Use this person when you are struggling and set up a plan
to check in regularly with him/her. As a coach, I have the
privilege of trading coaching services with my peers. My coach
helps me achieve my goals, overcome any obstacles, and celebrate
my success.
10. Celebrate success along the way. One of the most important
things you can do for yourself is celebrate your small successes
as you work towards your larger goals. Don't wait until the end
to reward yourself. You deserve to be recognized for your
efforts and your commitment, especially when your goals take a
long time to achieve. If you don't celebrate on your journey,
you will lose your motivation. So celebrate, celebrate, and
celebrate!
I wish you the best in achieving your 2006 New Year's
resolutions. If you fall off your path, remember you can always
get back on. It's okay to take a few detours. No one said there
can't be St. Patrick's Day resolutions, Easter resolutions, or
even Independence Day resolutions.
Lori Radun, CEC - certified life coach for moms. To receive her
FREE newsletter and the special report "155 Things Moms Can Do
to Raise Great Children, go to
http://www.true2youlifecoaching.com