Did you make a New Year's resolution? Is it something you really want? Well, now is time to start doing the work it takes to make it happen!
You know, most people don't fulfill their resolutions... One-quarter give up after only a week, one-third after a month. After 6 months less than half are still trying and, after all is said and done, only 8% are successful.
Why does this happen? Well, life gets in the way...we get busy, make excuses, fall behind, lose motivation and get frustrated.
But, if your resolutions are truly important to you, do it right! Don't leave worthwhile changes to chance or rely on an approach that is almost guaranteed to fail.
Making successful change involves 3 steps: setting your goals, determining exactly what you have to do to get there, and checking back to make sure you're on track. And I guess there's a 4th step - congratulating yourself when you succeed!
So, let's see what this looks like...
First...setting the goals. Large companies and institutions use a system called SMART goal setting, and you can use this too. What are SMART goals, you ask?? They are detailed goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable/Actionable, Relevant and Timed. And they write them down and keep them front and center to make sure they aren't forgotten.
Be Specific - Know exactly what you want to achieve. Many resolutions are vague, such as enjoy life more, or spend more time with family. Make yours specific...use numbers, pin down details of what you want to achieve.
Make it Measurable - Include parameters you can measure so you know exactly what you are aiming for.
Achievable and Actionable - Make sure what you want to do is actually achievable...don't set yourself up for failure! Be realistic about your goals. Include details about what actions you need to take to be successful. Learn from earlier attempts, if you've tried and failed to reach this goal in the past.
Be Relevant - Choose goals that you really want to achieve. Change is almost always difficult...you have to really want it!
Timed - Set a realistic time frame...next month? By the end of the year? Don't make the time too long and definitely don't leave your goals open-ended, to be accomplished "some day". Interim deadlines are often a good strategy too, and can keep you moving along with your plan.
Next, you need to determine the details of exactly what you will do to achieve your goals within the time you have given yourself. Write the steps down; set a time frame for each. Large organizations call this a strategic plan (and actually pay thousands of dollars to develop these!), but yours doesn't need to be overly complicated. Just be sure that, like your goals, your action plan is doable, specific and timed. And remember, with some goals there are proven plans already out there... for example, for quitting smoking or losing weight (2 of the most popular New Years resolutions!).
Thirdly, keep this written plan somewhere where you won't just forget about it. You may want to post your plan where you will see it every day, or make your update part of your Saturday morning coffee routine. Depending on your time frame, the first of every month can be often enough to make sure you are still on track. But be specific about this, and mark it on your calendar!
Remember that vague resolutions are often just unattainable dreams...written, focused goals with well-planned, practical steps to get there will greatly increase the likelihood of achieving the significant improvements in your life that you desire. And be sure to celebrate your success and reward yourself for a job well done when you achieve your New Years resolutions for 2017!
My resolution for 2017 is to self-publish the book on hormones I have been working on for the past year. I want to achieve this by June 2017 and have enrolled in an online course to learn exactly what I need to do to publish and market my book effectively. My first step is to build a mailing list so I can effectively tell people when my book is available. Please help me by subscribing to my blog, if you haven't already, so your name will be added to my list! Thank you for your support...
