“I don\u2019t do resolutions,\u201d Jane told me last week. \u201cWhat\u2019s the point? I never keep them.\u201d<\/p>\n
You probably know a few people like Jane yourself. Perhaps you\u2019re one of them!<\/p>\n
In your heart, you know you want to make changes in your life, but year after year you keep being pulled back to the same old patterns of thought and behavior.\u00a0After a while you start wondering if change is really possible at all.<\/p>\n
Given that less than 50% of people who make resolutions ever keep them until Valentine’s Day, it\u2019s understandable why so many are cynical about them. But while people sometimes make hasty resolutions, the real reason many fail is simple \u2013 they don\u2019t take into account basic human psychology.<\/p>\n
Motivation is tenuous in nature; it ebbs and flows. Not only that, but your innate fear of failure and tendency to stick with the\u00a0familiar can sabotage your efforts to change or achieve your most inspiring goals\u00a0before\u00a0you\u00a0ever get far out the starting gate.\u00a0Heck if pursuing brave goals and making changes in our lives were easy, we\u2019d all be doing it!<\/strong><\/p>\n To make the changes you\u00a0really\u00a0want \u2013 whether on January 1st\u00a0or any day of the year \u2013 you need to set yourself up for success over the long haul. After all, success isn\u2019t all just about attitude, it\u2019s\u00a0about employing strategies that steel your resolve and fuel your courage when fear rises up. \u00a0Here are 7 of the most powerful!<\/p>\n For a resolution to stick, it has to be aligned with your core values and hold deep personal meaning that you connect with on a deep emotional level. Most people want to look better or have more money,\u00a0but your resolutions have to go beyond superficial desires and connect with what truly matters most to you.<\/p>\n Whatever you resolve to do, get really<\/em> clear about why it really<\/em> matters and the personal price you\u2019ll pay if you put it off any longer. If your resolutions don\u2019t come with a big burning Why you\u2019ll find yourself hard-pressed to keep your resolve at the first temptation to ditch it.<\/p>\n Change is difficult, even change for the better. If it wasn\u2019t everyone would be changing those aspects of their relationships, finances, jobs, and health that pull them down day after day, year after year.\u00a0 The reason they don\u2019t is because to change anything we have to give up the payoff of sticking with the status quo. A sense of security. \u00a0Convenience. \u00a0Emotional familiarity.\u00a0 Mental complacency. \u00a0Social kudos. No risk. <\/em><\/p>\n Then ask yourself this one question:<\/p>\n “Is what I’m getting from the choice I’ve been making worth what I’m giving up to have it?”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Whatever you do, don’t discount the cost of inaction. As I wrote in Brave<\/a>, growth and comfort can’t ride the same horse!<\/strong><\/p>\n Aiming high is great, but deciding you want to run a marathon, finish your MBA, change jobs, renovate your home, and write a book all in the next year can leave you bouncing about like Tigger on Red Bull, not quite sure which direction you are going. Instead, set yourself up for success by focusing on one major goal at a time, not twenty-one.<\/strong> As Daniel Goleman wrote in his latest bestseller Focus<\/a>, “Distraction is a goal killer!” So too is overwhelm and exhaustion.<\/p>\n Start with just major undertaking come January 1st. Then break that goal down into do-able small bite-size steps.<\/p>\n Small steps, strong start, clear focus!<\/p>\n1. \u00a0Clarify Your Big Why<\/strong><\/h6>\n
\u00a02. \u00a0Own The Pay-Off You Get\u00a0Sticking To The Status Quo<\/strong><\/h6>\n
\u00a03. \u00a0Narrow Your Focus<\/strong><\/h6>\n