New Year’s resolutions are great … if you make them … and if you follow through. That’s two big “if’s”. Everyone likes making resolutions. But truthfully, almost everyone fails to follow through.
We’re approaching the third week into the New Year and maybe those resolutions already seem distant or even overwhelming. Or … maybe you’re trying to remember if you even made any. You didn’t write them down (because if you do, that means you have to feel bad when you don’t follow through). So in the end, maybe you did … or maybe you just thought about it. But if you’re reading this, it’s peaked your interest.
For a lot of us, the clock of failure is ticking. And for those few who made your resolutions and immediately started to fulfill them on a continual basis, kudos to you!
So what’s the difference between those who stick to resolutions and those who don’t?
According to world-renowned author and motivational speaker Tony Robbins, the answer is “clarity of purpose” and “having a plan”.
What exactly does that mean? It means you know exactly what you want, you know exactly why you want it, and you have specific direction to move forward.
I’ve found with my clients that when they intentionally add what and why they want something to direction and desire, that’s where the magic begins.
Research shows that 80% of people completely give up on their New Year’s resolutions by the second week of February. So why is that? Most people have the ideas … they at least vaguely know what they want to change. In order to be a part of the 20% that follows through (which is where you want to be), you need to be crystal clear on what you want to change. Instead of “I want to eat better”, your resolution could be “I want to cut out all unhealthy snacks after 7 p.m.”. Or instead of “I want to lose weight”, your resolution could be “I want to lose 10 pounds by March 1st”. Resolutions should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.
After you know exactly what you want, establish why you want it. This will help you stay motivated. I walk my clients through the process of determining their motivating factors or the why beneath the why. I had one client who wanted to lose weight to be able to get around better, but when we looked deeper, he realized his passion was to be able to take care of his family and in his current overweight condition, he felt like he wasn’t able to do that. He lost 30 pounds in 3 months of working together. He found his “why” and follow-through was inevitable.
So determine exactly what you want, then determine why you want it.
Now that you know your “what” and “why”, the other piece to the puzzle is having a plan and following through. According to Robbins, create a plan and identify tools that will help you create what you want. Without a plan, your resolution is just a pipe dream. What do you need in order to create your plan? Have a personal brainstorm session to decide exactly what will help you succeed. It might be you want more support or accountability. It could be that you want to be able to change some specific habits. Or, you could just want more information. In this step, you get to decide exactly what you need.
So now that you know exactly what you want, why you want it, and you have a plan, commit yourself to your resolution by writing it down so you can see it every day. Then keep at it. Remember that the future is a bunch of “right now’s” piled on top of each other. Do something every day that moves you closer to your goal. It may be slow and it definitely won’t be perfect. But continue to move forward – every day.
Does this seem overwhelming to you? Or would you like help brainstorming or coming up with a plan that works for you?
If so, click the button below for a free, no pressure session so you can move closer to being your best self ever!
Here’s to a terrific 2020!!!