The New Year’s Resolution. The time of year that everyone sits down, writes unattainable wishes, and then forgets about them by the time February hits.
I’ve already seen those that consistently go to the gym complain about the New Year’s Resolution crowd that is sure to join them starting today, Monday.
I’ve been there. I know you have been there.
You have the best of intentions and you just know that this is your year. You are going to achieve your resolution.
In the past, I was the same way. One year I decided I was going to work out 6 days a week and was going to stop eating fast food as much. Yet when the time came to make that change, I did not have the structure in place to achieve those goals.
If you are like me, then you have had the following New Year’s Resolutions:
-Lose 10 lbs.
-Write a book.
-Be more intentional with your significant other.
-Be more intentional with your kids.
-Not have your phone in your hands certain times of day.
The New Year is a great time to for a fresh start. A clean slate, a new calendar, new goals.
[bctt tweet=”The New Year is a great time to for a fresh start. A clean slate, a new calendar, new goals.”]
It’s not that you don’t want to be successful. You made the resolution for a reason, on some level it is important to you. Yet when it comes down to it, only 8% of people who make New Year’s Resolutions are successful in achieving their resolution.
The odds are not in your favor friend.
[bctt tweet=”Only 8% of those who set NY Resolutions will achieve them.”]
What normally happens is you are super excited and in that excitement to make healthy changes, you plan to do too much or don’t have the structure in place to achieve your goals. You might not pace yourself, making incremental changes that lead to lasting change, so the changes you do make you are not able to sustain for the long haul.
The reality is you have created habits over a lifetime. When you are trying to change those habits, it takes purposeful planning and attainable action steps.
Another reason you may not be successful is you may not have told anyone your goals. If no one knows your goals, they can’t keep you accountable. To achieve a resolution you have to put structures in place in your daily life.
While many will not achieve their New Year’s resolutions, you can defy the odds.
Here are 4 steps you can take to help your New Year’s resolutions become a normal part of your daily life.
Write Out Your Goals and Your Why
Goals are great. We love hearing an inspirational quote about achieving goals. These are some of my favorite quotes:
“Don’t let life change your goals. Achieving your goals can change your life.”
“Action without planning is fatal, but planning without action is futile”
“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” Henry David Thoreau
Feel inspired? I know I do. The reality is that goals are great, but if you don’t have a reason as to why you have set the goal, you won’t achieve it. You will have a set back or hit a bump in the road, and you’ll give up.
When you write out your goals, make sure you follow the SMART model. Is your goal Specific? Is it Measurable? Is it Attainable? Is it Relevant? Do you have a Time when you will complete it?
Action: Write out your goals and your compelling why. Also, set an initial deadline for your goals.
Tell Someone Your Goals
Rarely is anything achieved when it is kept to oneself. We need encouragement and accountability from one another. When it comes down to it, when it starts to become difficult, we need others to kick our butts back into gear.
Action: Tell two people your goals
Create Action Steps and Put it in Your Calendar
Goals will stay goals on a piece of paper unless you create action steps. The action steps that you create need to be specific to your goal.
Want to lose weight? Then you must decide how you are going to work out and when you are going to work out. And then make appointments with yourself in your calendar.
Want to write a book? You have to put all of the pieces together, from research, to development, to time to write.
Want to spend more time with your kids? Decide what that really means to you, then come up with a plan.
Knowing how you are going to get from point A to point B is the only way you will achieve your goals.
Action: Create appointments with yourself as to when you will work on your goals and what you will do during that time.
Hire a Coach
Sometimes, no matter what you try to do on your own, you just will not achieve your goals. This is where hiring a coach comes in.
Often the very thing you need is a person who is far enough from your current circumstance to ask the right questions to help you gain a greater level of self-awareness to set the right goals with the action plan that you need. These insightful conversations will leave you with concrete action steps to take before your next coaching appointment.
You would hire a coach to help you achieve your weight loss goals at the gym, why not hire a coach to help you achieve other goals that are important to you?
If you want to achieve your goals but aren’t sure how to get from A to B, then its time to connect with a coach.
Action: Hire a coach.
You can be a part of the 8%. It won’t always be easy; in fact, it will get to the point where you will want to quit. But don’t. Don’t give up on what you wanted. Look at your Why. Remind yourself why you set that goal to begin with. It takes courage to make a goal, tell someone, and then chase after it.
What are some New Year’s Resolutions that you have set in the past but failed in accomplishing? See mine in the comments below!
Here’s to the Journey!
P.S.- Continue the conversation on Facebook! I would love to hear how I can help you on your journey. To receive up to date content, sign up to receive my free 7 Steps to a Prioritized Life on the home page and posts will be delivered right to your inbox. If Facebook isn’t your favorite social media site, you can connect with me on Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.