Make It A Happy New Year Part 2

As New Year is the typical time for resolutions here is the second of a three part series on the topic. Last week we addressed the five stages involved in turning resolutions into realities and it is important to think of your resolution as an investment in yourself.

Important investments require time. Setting and achieving a resolution requires focus, effort, and commitment. Changing old habits and developing new ones won't happen overnight.

Resolution Guidelines
The following four guidelines are meant to help you achieve all of your New Year's Resolutions:

1. Focus on one resolution at a time. Divide and conquer the activities to achieve your desired results. Break larger tasks into smaller ones — each of these make up your path to achieve your goal.

2. Create a sense of accountability. Designate a friend, mentor, or companion for sharing successes, monitoring progress, and offering support. The benefit of involving others in your goals and plans is instant access to experience, knowledge, and wisdom.

Research indicates that one of the qualities of those who are successful at making changes is that they have excellent support systems. Many of those who make resolutions never tell others about them. Consciously or subconsciously, that way if they fail no one will view them as a failure.

Communicating your resolution and intentions actually increases your accountability to the behaviour  From the very beginning it is important to share your objectives and goals with those around you so that you can enlist their support. Knowing that you are accountable to someone other than yourself will help to keep you on track.

3. Persist until completed. A resolution achieved is a stunning example of consistency and hard work. If you fall behind schedule or are sidetracked for any reason, refocus! Just don't give up! Don't surrender to temptation, difficulty or temporary failure. Persist until you achieve the goal.

4. Cultivate personal integrity. Your commitment determines your level of success. This commitment boils down to two essential tactics: daily action and review.

Resolution Beginnings
The mechanics of achieving any resolution are invariably the same. Neither the size of the resolutions nor the person achieving it matters. Successful resolutions consist of the following:

Clear Purpose — For a dream to become a goal, it must be specific. Being thin is an image, losing 10 pounds by March 1 is a true resolution. Be clear on what you want to achieve.
Make a resolution that you have a real intention of keeping. The truth is most people have not made a genuine, serious resolution!

In Writing — Describe precisely what you want, how you will earn it, when you will have it, and the benefits you'll receive from achieving your resolution. Write the details, but don't make it complex.

Commitment — Without commitment, you can say, "Farewell dream and Hello Mediocrity!" Your resolution will find a more deserving person: someone with courage, character, conviction ... and commitment.

Commitment is not only habitual but also essential — it moves you ever closer to your resolution and ultimate success. Commitment is the heartbeat of your goal.

Accountability Counts — commitment means you own it. You are responsible for taking the resolution that is on paper and turning it into a desired outcome. Owning it means tasking responsibility for changes, risks, failures, and successes.

Watch for the final instalment on resolutions next week!