Did you make one or more resolutions for the new year?
Well, according to a Marist Poll released in December, you're in the minority with only 33% of Americans saying they made a resolution last year.
And of those who did make resolutions, 65% reported that they had kept it for part of the year while 35% didn't even get out of the gate.
If you want to be one of the very small minority who actually makes their resolutions a reality, read the following tips.
- Put it in writing. That means actual hand-writing, not typing up a list. When thoughts go from brain to hand, pen and then paper your feelings of commitment to your goals increase.
- Be realistic. I believe in setting big goals, but ‘make a million dollars' starting from zero is probably a pipe dream. Try ‘increase my income by 1 (or 2 or 5) thousand dollars a month'. Pick a figure that will relieve your current financial burden yand give you some breathing room.
- Brainstorm. How will you achieve your goals? How much time you have to work on your goals? Will you work one or two hours a day during the week, or work on the weekends? What resources do you need? Hosting? Education? Someone to help with the kids while you work? A partner with writing skills to augment your technical skills, or vice versa? Write down everything that comes to mind.
- Create your plan. Organize your ideas from ‘Brainstorm' above into an list of steps ordered by sequence and/or priorities.
- Set deadlines. A goal without a deadline is just a wish. Saying ‘start a blog' is meaningless unless you add a timeframe, i.e. ‘start a blog by January 10th' and ‘write 10 core articles by January 20th', etc.
- Commit. Sign your list of resolutions and place it on a bulletin board where you can see it every day.
- Reward success. If you tend to chastise yourself for missing deadlines, turn that thinking around, because punishment is a lousy motivator. Plan rewards for yourself instead, so you'll have something good to look forward to when you do achieve your goals.
Now work your plan!
Did you make a resolution? A plan to keep it? Do you have any additional tips for our readers that will help them keep theirs? Please share by leaving a comment below.
Best of success to everyone in sticking with their resolutions (goals) for 2010.