Relooking at New Year's Resolutions

This time of the year, it is the most asked question - "What are your New Year's Resolutions?"

Many people make them.

Few people sustain them.

In fact, according to research by Marti Hope Gonzales, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota cited in the New York Times this morning about 80 percent of people who make resolutions on Jan. 1 will stop making progress by Valentine’s Day.

There are a variety of factors that lead to people not being successful, but the biggest two come from the word resolution itself.

First, from the definition itself. Dictionary.com gives many definitions of the word, the the two most relevant being:

2. a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.
3. the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.

Notice that both of these are really about a decision. Decisions are important, but not nearly as important as the actions that back them up. The reason so many people set resolutions is that they are easy to set. It is (relatively) easy to decide to do something. But to make your resolution last, you must do more than decide, you must do.

Second, from the spelling of the word. Resolution conveniently begins with the letters "re". Most of us think about the letters "re" when by themselves as something we use in a letter, memo or email to describe the subject - or why we are writing. It is the why that is missing from most resolutions. You will reach more of your resolutions, goals or objectives when the reason why you want to achieve it is clearly placed in your mind and is sufficiently strong and compelling to keep you acting and moving in the direction of that goal or resolution.

We cannot underestimate the power of "why" when setting and moving towards the achievement of our resolutions or goals.

If you are reading this as you are setting your resolutions your action steps should be clear. Don't stop with the decision, get to work. And create a why - a compelling reason that is big enough and powerful enough to keep you on your new habit path.

These are ideas that I explore in great depth and provide a variety of tools and techniques for in our brand new Start Today - Make Your Next 12 Months Your Best 12 Months package. If you are serious about being in the 20% who are taking action on and succeeding in reaching or maintaining your resolutions beyond Valentine's Day, you owe it to yourself - and your why - to check out this package.

Labels: goal settting, goals, resolutions

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