I recently read a quote of someone referring to New Year’s resolutions going “in one year, out the other.” I could not help but give a little laugh. But is this not true of most of us? It seems that in such a trying economy, resolutions to spend less money and save more would be almost a required priority. But unfortunately, our good intentions get squandered by our busy lifestyles. Subconscious commitments to current habits outweigh our high hopes for change and improvement.
Doing a little more online digging led me to a statistic saying only eight percent of people are always successful in achieving their resolutions.
Seeing this is only February, most of us are still holding to our goal. But have you thought about what plans will need to be made to help you keep it this summer? Your pledge to improvement is not a small task. But to really take control, it requires small steps.
Colin Ryan, a stand-up comedian and motivational speaker, took a serious note on his last blog about resolutions. He made a simple resolution for 2012: floss daily. And over a year later, he is part of the eight percent. These are his latest thoughts on the subject: “Real change is nothing short of a resolution, but it never comes in the blink of an eye. It comes to us only over time. It comes to us only with determination. It comes to us only when we take one small step at a time. We are all hopeful that this next year will be even better than the last. But lofty ambitions will only overwhelm us. Massive projects will paralyze us. We don’t need a grand vision; we need a next step… because our next step will lead us toward change.”
Small steps can equal short-term goals. One mentor taught me to look at the big picture and then break it down. For example: Your resolution is to get your black belt in karate this year. Do you start in the advanced classes and test for it? No. You start the class with other beginners and earn your white belt. After your white belt, you can move up to the yellow belt. Months from now your short-term goal will have changed from earning your first belt to now moving into the intermediate class. Even though this goal will take more than one year’s resolution, the point is that the whole process lets you tackle a large goal with small steps. This year, let us all try to put our own commitments into this situation. Can you create phases to your goal? Even if it is a goal of breaking a habit – or a goal of making a habit – you can find stages needed to conquer. Creating a priorities list, outline, and schedule can always be helpful when committing to genuine goals. Go as far as telling a friend of your commitments to help keep you accountable. Or just keep a sticky note on your bathroom mirror to help remind you every day. Either way, becoming accountable is a key factor in securing your outcome.
By setting realistic goals (and not forcing yourself to a lifestyle change on the first day of the year), you may find that the finish line is not so far away after all.
Amanda Strunk Miller
Want to read more?
Subscribe to one of our monthly plans to continue reading this article.