Thomas Jefferson
Last week I wrote about an article that suggested we should not make New Year’s resolutions, because the success rate of actually accomplishing the resolutions is extremely low. Though I agreed with much of what the author was explaining, I did disagree with the idea that setting resolutions is a waste of time. Though statistics show the success rate of actually following through with New Year’s resolutions is low, it does not mean everyone fails. Thus, if even a small percentage succeeds, to me, it is worth the effort!
Being among those who succeed in achieving New Year’s resolutions really comes down to a choice. Do we have the discipline to set goals and then really strive to achieve them each day? Do we believe we can accomplish our resolutions despite the research that indicates most don’t? Each day this year we have the opportunity to choose to accomplish our resolutions or not, regardless of what the majority of others may be doing. Though it will not be easy, we can be different! I truly believe that despite the research, each of us has the capacity to carry out our New Year’s goals. To help us achieve our resolutions this year, I have three simple strategies that will ensure success in working towards our goals for 2009.
#1 Plan
First, we must have a plan or a vision for accomplishing our goals. As the old adage goes, “failing to plan, is planning to fail.” As we prepare to establish New Year’s resolutions we must come up with a plan on how we will go about accomplishing them. Often people fail from the beginning; because they set a goal, but they do not plan how they will accomplish it. Think about what steps you will take, what help you will we need, what time you will set aside, what changes you will need to make immediately in your life to be successful. Planning ahead and thinking about what accomplishing a certain goal will require will help us to set good, achievable resolutions this year. Determining how we will track our progress on a daily basis is also an important part of a plan. (There are many simple, easy, and great tools that can help you track your goals. For an example, please see http://www.joesgoals.com.) In the end, when we establish a plan along with a goal, our potential to succeed quickly rises.
#2 Effort
Hopefully this is stating the obvious but if we are to be successful in accomplishing our New Year’s resolutions, then we must be willing to put forth effort. It is not enough to simply want to make an effort, we must actually make the effort! We must remember it is in the doing and not just the planning in which we accomplish our goals. This means starting today and then continuing each day thereafter to put forth some effort. There will undoubtedly come hard times when it may seem impossible to accomplish our goals, but this is when we must put forth extra effort to ensure success. Though putting forth effort is not always fun and easy, it will be worth it in the end. Giving our best effort will allow us to be successful.
#3 Faith
Finally, we must have the confidence and faith in ourselves that we can accomplish our goals. We cannot allow opposition or setbacks to overwhelm us, but instead we need to go to work each day with the faith that we will succeed. We can also expect ups and downs during the year, but as long as we keep hoping and believing, we will succeed. Truly learning to believe in ourselves and in our ability to accomplish great things, will significantly increase our ability to obtain our goals.
Though many will allow New Year’s resolutions to fall to the way-side, we don’t have to! With a plan, some effort, and a lot of faith, we can and will be among those who actually accomplish their goals this year. Let’s not follow the crowds or the traditional trends, let’s be different—let’s accomplish our goals this year!
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