We’re three months into the year. How are you doing on your
New Year’s resolutions? If poorly, you may be in need of a new approach
to resolutions.
The most common reasons that resolutions notoriously fail are: setting
unrealistic or unattainable expectations for overnight change, viewing backslides
as total failures, and becoming so all-consumed in time and energy that it leaves
you feeling unbalanced and unhappy.
Six Tips for Success
Here are six steps for making your resolutions stick.
- Forget resolutions—make a plan. Nobody accomplishes anything of significance by trying to do it all at once. Most people want to magically move from point
A to point Z, but don’t have a plan to get from point A to point B, to point
C. While it’s easy to picture yourself and the life you want, the difficult
part is actually getting there. Break lofty goals up into manageable steps, and
your odds of success increase tenfold.
- Focus on your strengths. Backsliding is not failure. It’s easy to see what you haven’t done, rather than the steps that you have taken. Any effort
or energy you give to what you haven’t done will only slow you down. Celebrate
every accomplishment, keep the momentum, and look toward the future. Learn to
maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses.
- Learn something new. There is no better way to evolve than to commit to life-long learning. I meet people everyday who act like they have nothing more to learn.
Even the biggest “know-it-all” doesn’t know everything. Education
paves a pathway to success. You can never be too educated. This year, take a class
about something of interest to you.
- Live gratefully and give something back. Be aware of the wonderful things
in your life and find an outlet to give back a fraction of what you enjoy, such
as a charity, animal shelter, church group, mentoring program, or training center.
Giving back feeds your soul and enables you to gain perspective on all that you
have.
- Spend time with positive people. Surround yourself with people who support your goals and endeavors. Focusing on the negative or spending time with people
who bring you down challenges your positive attitude—which is essential
for success.
- Relax and take time for yourself. You cannot achieve any goal if you are uninspired, overworked, and out of balance. Take time out and be good to yourself. Read good
books. If you are adding knowledge to your mind and nurturing your soul, you will
grow. PE
