So the year is winding down and it is time to start thinking about those New Year’s resolutions. You know, those half-hearted promises you make to yourself that sound like a good idea on January 1st but that you usually forget about by the 13th. Maybe this is the way it has always been, but it doesn’t have to be.
The resolution can be an excellent tool to help make you into a better person, as long as you know how to use it. As opposed to previous years, I can definitely say my resolution this year has improved my quality of life. So what did I do differently this year, and can I replicate it next year? Here are a few rules I followed to revolutionize this year’s resolutions.
1. Take the resolution seriously
The primary reason I never got anywhere with my resolutions before was because I never purposed to carry them out. Perhaps I wanted to, maybe even intended to, but without the determination to walk towards the goal, I didn’t even get started.
2. Choose a resolution that is important to you
Have you ever looked at a person and thought, “I’d like to be like that”? Do you have a long list of skills you’d like to learn, but you never seem to have the time? Have you always wanted to do something but never made a plan for accomplishing it? The resolution is your chance to be that person you want to be or to do that thing you want to do. Distractions of all sorts will come up in the new year. Choosing a goal that is important to you will help you focus your time on what is truly worth doing.
3. Choose a goal you are motivated to work on
Some people are motivated by impossible goals, because even if they don’t achieve them, they’ll still get further than they ever thought they could. On the other hand, some people will never start if they think they can’t accomplish their goal. For them it is better to invest their time in things they can achieve, because they are energized by projects where they can see immediate results. Whatever type of person you are, choose a goal that gets you going. If you choose a resolution that is meaningful to you, it will give you motivation to move forward when the going gets tough, or more likely, when you just don’t feel like working on it.
4. Choose a goal you can work on every day
One thing I’ve learned from my job is how to set goals. You don’t just come up with an idea and hope you’ve achieved it at the end of the year. Instead, you break the goal up into steps and then figure out how you can do a little bit each day. It might be as simple as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or reading a chapter each night before bed. Whatever it is, don’t forget to set aside a little time each day to work on your resolution.
5. Don’t set too many priorities
You might have a long list of things you’d like to do with your life, but you don’t need to do them all now. If you are focusing on multiple things then you really aren’t focusing on anything. Just pick one thing to work on at a time. If that thing can carry you through the entire year, great! You’ve just found your resolution. If not, try grouping it with similar short-term projects that fit into a bigger resolution. In this case, work on only one project for a season before moving on to successive goals in successive seasons. Before you know it, you’ll be on your way to success!
6. Don’t let falling off the horse stop you from getting back on
You’ve forgotten to work on your resolution yesterday. It is 9 o’clock in the evening and you’re now faced with the choice of whether to work on it today or ignore it until you’re “in the mood” tomorrow, knowing full well that you might not be in that mood for a week. In this moment we sometimes let the fact that we used “played hooky yesterday” be an excuse to slack off today as well. We say to ourselves “one more day won’t hurt.” Maybe we feel like because we’ve missed a day we’ve already failed, so going on doesn’t matter anymore.
Maybe your situation is different. Maybe you were doing well, but suddenly something unforeseen came at you and now the year is almost over and your resolution has been long forgotten. It doesn’t have to stay that way.
If the goal was important enough for you to start, then it is important enough for you to finish. Don’t let the fact that you’ve missed a few days keep you from becoming who you want to be. The most important rule about New Year’s resolutions is to just keep going. Take some time today to get back on track. There is still a little bit of the year left. It isn’t too late to keep working on that resolution.
– David Frank, JETPUBS Inc.