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Retire Your New Year’s Resolutions
By Molly's Brother | December 31, 2007
I am retiring the concept of a New Year’s “resolution.” Not going to do it this year. Sitting here, at the brink of a New Year, it’s exciting looking forward. My mind is racing, filled with wonder about what unbelievable and fantastic events will happen in the next 365 days. I am looking towards tomorrow, committed to implementing some new changes in my life.
Resolutions out. Goals in.
You hear me. I am still using this time of the year to refocus some things and to create change. I am just going to revolutionize the way I look at it. Resolutions are out. Goals are in.
There is something now inherent about the phrase “New Years Resolution.” It’s a term filled with so much promise and so much hope. At the same time, right behind that promise and hope is an expectation of a repeated failure. Didn’t you make this same resolution last year? How did that go for you? If your resolution was still in place by the time Valentine’s Day rolled around, consider yourself successful.
Resolutions are bound to fail.
There’s a problem with resolutions. For most of us and for most of the resolutions that we create, we find that they are bound to fail. There’s a simple reason behind this. Usually our resolutions are too broadly worded and our plan to implement these resolutions are too broadly conceptualized that we have nothing to grab onto to help us remain committed to it.
This year, take a different approach to your resolution. Instead of approaching it as a vague concept that would be nice to complete, create a goal and attack it with a higher level of specificity.
How to set and complete goals.
- Make sure your goals are attainable. Don’t try to bite off more than you can chew. This will end in frustration and possibly failure.
- Set smaller goals–objectives–that will help serve as stepping stones to help you attain your goals.
- Make sure you goals and the objectives supporting your goals are specific. It also helps if they have a set time frame for completion.
- When you complete a goal, create the next goal that can flow from it.
Tonight, when the obligatory “what’s your New Year’s resolution” conversation occurs, why not share with them this idea? Point them back here to help keep them motivated.
Happy 2008!
Topics: Lessons Learned |