A new year is upon us. And there is nothing as enticing as using the new year as a marker for change and a milestone for achieving what seemed impossible the previous year. That’s where resolutions come in, we make a list of goals we hope to achieve before the year runs out. But let’s face it, most of these resolutions fail within the first month of setting them despite our best intentions. Why is that?
The reason could be one of many, but here are a few that may be responsible for your failed resolutions plans:
- Setting unrealistic and impossible goals
- Treating your goals like a sprint instead of a marathon
- No accountability or tracking system in place
- No planning
- Self-doubt and uncertainty
All of these are reasons why your resolutions plan is futile. Now that they have been identified the next question is what can be done to remedy these?
This year’s resolution is going to be different because you’d be applying 5 proven resolution tips. They are:
New mindset:
The “I want it all and I want it now” mentality would ruin your chances of achieving anything on your resolution list. It is advisable to do away with such a mentality. Achieving your goal or target set for the year would require work and lots of it.
You can’t expect to achieve all you’ve set out for the new year within 3 months and quit if it doesn’t. The new year is an opportunity to achieve significant changes in your life but it is not a deadline, it is a process.
So instead of trying to make the impossible seem possible focus on achieving one goal at a time. This way your goals are more realistic and achievable.
Be intentional and specific:
A good job, losing or gaining weight, making extra money, becoming more spiritual, all of these are likely to be part of your resolution list. It is a great list that seems achievable but what you don’t know is that it is a recipe for failure. And this is because all these goals are unintentional and unspecific.
How much weight would you lose or gain to meet your target? How much money is more money? What job do you consider a good job? So instead of a list that lacks specificity let your resolution list look like this
- I want to spend 2 hours studying the word of God daily
- I want to make an additional 1 million or I want to make my first million.
- I want to lose or gain 50 pounds
This way your targets can be easily tracked and monitored for progress.
Plan out action steps:
Aspiring to lose weight is a feasible goal but can still be unachievable if the required measures are not put in place to achieve this goal and make it a reality. For losing weight, an example of these action steps could be signing up for a gym membership or mapping a diet to aid your weight loss journey. Without these steps put in place to enforce discipline, you might most likely repeat your resolution list next year.
Set deadlines:
Not just any deadline, set realistic deadlines, and be true to your strength and abilities. Unless you have a magic lamp and a genie that grants wishes it is impossible to expect the result of 6 months of dedication and work in a month. Without these deadlines, you might never get started on your resolutions because nothing is compelling you to do so. Deadlines serve as great motivations for achieving targeted goals.
Track your progress and be accountable:
The best way to stay accountable is to constantly report to someone. It could be a friend, or family. Talk about your success and setbacks and brainstorm ways to overcome future obstacles. Tracking your progress helps you know how far or how close you are to reaching your goal. This helps to build confidence and make room for improvement and implementation of new strategies along the way.
Most importantly dear friends, commit all that you do and plan to do into the hands of the Almighty because only he has the power to see you through this journey.
Remember to enjoy the process throughout. Do not be too hard or too easy on yourself, be mindful, take responsibility, be committed, and absorb and radiate only positive energy. Don’t blame yourself for past resolution failures. Michael Jordan said, “I’ve failed over and over and over and that’s why I succeed”.
It’s your time to succeed. Good luck friends! Until we come your way next time!
