Transform Your Resolutions into Reality

 The art of New Year’s resolutioning is not for the faint of heart.

Cavett Robert said, “Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed.” Benjamin Franklin added, “How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults or resolution enough to mend them.”

Is a resolution begging for your attention?  You must be honest enough to examine yourself, your habits, and your attitude; creative enough to articulate a resolution as a goal; and committed enough to set an intention and follow through with action.

Once you become clear about what you want to do, you can consider ways to successfully transform the resolution into a habit. By knowing what you want to achieve, you can plan how to focus your efforts.

Express your commitment to your resolution in writing. Lee Iacocca, former Chrysler CEO, explained, “The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen.” Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, insisted that the act of writing goals puts things into motion.

“Your mind accepts the challenge and will consciously and unconsciously work to achieve the goal,” added Covey. “The momentum picks up if you tell someone your goal. The act of stating your goal creates a sense of accountability for its completion.”

Write a SMART resolution. A SMART goal is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. The act of creating a specific resolution packs your desire with power and launches your progress towards success. Consider these questions as you construct a SMART New Year’s resolution:

• Specific – What do you want to accomplish? Why do you want to accomplish it? What are the benefits? Who is involved? Where will you try to accomplish it?
• Measurable – How much is needed? How much will it cost? How will you know when it is accomplished? What tools will you use to measure progress? What targets will you establish as you progress towards your resolution?
• Attainable – How can your resolution be accomplished? Is it action-oriented? What knowledge and skills do you have to reach this goal? What knowledge and skills do you need?
• Realistic – Is your resolution relevant? Is there time in your schedule to make a commitment to this goal? Is there a need for you to commit to this resolution?
• Time-bound  – When will this happen? How often? Is there a time frame for you to reach your goal? What will you do within the next six months to reach your goal? Within the next six weeks? Today?

Here are additional tips to consider as you compose a spectacular New Year’s resolution:

• State your resolution as a positive statement. Express your goals with positive words. For example, rather than stating, “Don’t be afraid to contact new clients,” say “I confidently contact 10 new clients this week.”

• Be precise. Set specific goals; include dates, times, and measurable amounts so you can track your progress. Rather than stating, “Write my book,” say, “I commit to a daily writing practice of 15 minutes every day, 8:00-8:15 p.m.”

• Set objective performance resolutions.As you write goals, use action verbs that can be observed and measured as opposed to abstract and subjective goals. Rather than stating, “Lose weight,” say, “I walk one mile every morning.”

• Set priorities. Prioritizing tasks protects you from feeling overwhelmed and anxious by focusing your attention on important choices and activities that are directly connected to your goals. Clarify your priorities so you can make best use of your time.

• Arrange time in your schedule to take action. Finding creative ways to fit specific tasks aligned with your resolution into your schedule takes work and effort. Consider how much time you have within a 24-hour period that can be devoted to tasks that will help you meet your goals.

I offer more specific tips and guidance to transform your resolution into a powerful plan of action in my goal-setting book, Dreams to Action Trailblazer’s Guide.

Those who clearly define their New Year’s resolutions are 10 times more likely to reach their goals than those create nebulous, unspecific statements (Journal of Clinical Psychology, December, 2013). Although approximately 75% of those who commit to a New Year’s goal continue to experience success by January 7th, only 46% remain committed to their goal six months later.

Mike Dooley, author of daily Notes from the Universe, believes thoughts become things. “It’s not that most people don’t have much and just want a little,” he explains. “It’s that they have it all and just want a little.” He encourages you to realign with the positive energy and blessings around you.

You become the person you want to be by being the person you want to become. Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, maintained, “What the mind of man can conceive, it can achieve.”

Make a commitment to yourself and to your resolution. Make this year your year to celebrate your success.

What accomplishment do you most want to celebrate at the end of this year?

 

Do you have a dream for the new year? Use these tips from What’s Your Dream to transform your vision into a plan of action.

Clarify your direction. Try these suggestions to Write a Personal Purpose Statement.

Learn How to Write SMART Personal Goals and supercharge your focus with power.

Would you like to receive Mike Dooley’s Notes from the Universe?  Register here and prepare to be inspired every day.

Do you have a list of resolutions but no idea where to start? Check out my personal goal-setting book, Dreams to Action Trailblazer’s Guide, and get started today.