The New Year is almost here and resolutions will be made. Change is on the horizon. We’re on the cusp of a new reality – woo! hoo! Sounds exciting and rewarding, right? Wrong. At least it will be wrong for most people. Only about eight percent of resolutions made will ever be realized. While that’s sad, it’s not unexpected. Most people put more thought into deciding what kind of pizza to order than they do in setting resolutions. So, if you are serious about creating change this year, here’s what you need to know…..
Three critical elements for are needed for making resolutions that stick. The first is true desire – you must have an authentic, obstacles-be-damned, lusty ambition to make your resolution a reality. It cannot be something you think you ‘should’ do.
And it can’t be something someone else wants you do – it must be something you truly want. Yes – you! Not your husband, not your wife, and definitely not your mother. Resolutions made to please other people mean you’re in for a big ‘ole heaping portion of resentment! With a side of failure to boot. This is no time for people pleasing – resolutions are for you. They might benefit those around you, but they’ve got to be yours to start.
Once you’ve figured out what you want, you need to define why you want to make it happen – again this must why YOU want it to happen, not why you think you ‘should’ want it happen ( I loathe ‘shoulds’ – they just suck the joy out of life). There is a fine but very important distinction here. You need to be crystal clear on what your motivation really is.
Let me explain this a bit – let’s suppose you are one of the many people who have decided you’ll resolve to workout more often. Why do you want to do that? Lots of people are going to say it’s for health reasons. And for some of them that may be true. But for a lot of people being healthy is just not going to cut it as a primary motivating factor. For a lot of people, looking good is what they really want. They want to feel sexy, fit into skinny jeans, or rock a a little black dress at their college reunion.
Despite the fact that we are a looks obsessed society (ugh), most people aren’t going to fess up to wanting to look good, because they feel it would too vain to admit that’s why they’re going hit the gym. And that means they never get in touch with their real motivation, which is a huge mistake. Be honest with yourself about why you want to make your resolution a reality and you’ll exponentially increase your chance of success.
If you are going to be one of the eight percent who are successful in achieving your resolutions you must get crystal clear on your why. Because when the going gets tough, it’s your why that will motivate you. If your why isn’t absolutely compelling you’ll be out of luck, so dig down and get clear on why you want you want you want. This is no time for bs-ing yourself (truth: there is never a time for that).
FYI – The easiest way to gain clarity is by creating a vision statement – it’s easy to do, it’s fun and you wind up with an incredibly powerful tool. If you need help with this feel free to be in touch. I’ll send you a how-to.
I said there were three critical elements – we’ve covered two – the what and the why. The third critical element is the plan. Yup – you need a plan. Without a plan you’re going nowhere fast. A plan is your map – it will guide you to success. After all, you’re going to place a you’ve never been, so directions are going to a big deal. Without them the journey is going to be a toughie. Here’s a quick guide to get you in a planning mindset: Five Steps To Reach Your Goals. And the be sure to grab your goal setting guide here.
Let’s make 2016 one to remember! And if you feel like you might want a little more guidance, support or accountability then come join our private group – you can find us here. Just hit the ask to join button and I’ll be thrilled to let you in!
