Most people start the New Year full of hope.
It’s a fresh start, a clean slate. It’s time to fix things in your life that you’re not happy with. What do people do? They make resolutions. I’m doing to quit smoking, I’m going to lose weight, I’m going to get more sleep, I’m going to start working out. I’m going to spend more time with my family. The list is endless.
But 99% are headed for failure
It happens every year and with such regularity that it’s become a joke. People almost expect to break their resonlutions even as they’re starting because they know history. Why is it that most fail? What could they do different to set themselves up for success?
It’s a fresh start
Make a decision not a resolution. The mistake is they make a resolution and not a decision. When you make a decision it is definite you are deciding you’re going to take charge of your life. You’re deciding things are going to change. You are locking in on a goal. You have come to a conclusion about your life and there’s some changes you’ve decided are going to be made. That is a decision. It is non-negotiable. It is not built on a bunch of conditions…if this works out perfect, if that works out perfect—no—it’s going to happen regardless.
A resolution is much weaker
Resolutions are like giving something a try. I’m going to “attempt” to do something. This is a play I’m going to run. If everything works perfectly, if I am able to get myself to do these things then I can get the result. The mistake is focusing on how you’re going to get there. The mistake is making your commitment to how you’re going to get there rather than the fact that you have DECIDED that you ARE going to get there! Resolutions are all about the process rather than the goal so when you commit to a resolution as soon as something comes along in life to interrupt your routine… BAM! You broke your resolution, you give up.
The critical mistake
Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Don’t give up, make an adjustment! Get a new plan, if you, “fall off the wagon,” immediately restart. The trouble with most people starting resolutions is they expect they must follow this rigid new path they’ve set for themselves and as soon as they break the chain they panic and quit.
Success is getting to your goals
Once you get there you’ll forget how long it took. It won’t matter. It’s totally inconsequential at that point that you had to make a course correction along the way, you had to regroup and restart your game plan. You had to reschedule, reorganize your time, or any other change you made along the way. The important thing is you will have done it. When you make a decision instead of a resolution, your eye is firmly on your “prize” no how you’re going to get there. Resolutions fail because you focus on the method.
