Every year millions of people make New Year’s resolutions and then fail to follow through on them. Here’s a simple tip that will help you break this cycle and make your New Year’s resolutions a reality.
One of the main reasons people fail to follow through on their New Year’s resolutions is that a year is simply too long a time frame to work with.
For example, if you set a New Year’s resolution to lose 20 pounds by the end of the year, it is very easy to think,
"I’ve got all year to make this happen"
As soon as you start thinking like this, your resolution loses its appeal and you have no compelling reason to get started. All too often your resolution ends up in the ’someday basket’.
The secret to making your New Year’s resolution a reality is to transform it into a ‘6 month resolution’ and a ‘3 month resolution’.
To do this, first take your end of year resolution and divide it in half.
For example: ’I will lose 20 pounds by the end of the year’ becomes…
I will lose 10 pounds by the end of June.
Next divide this in half again to create your 3 month resolution…
I will lose 5 pounds by the end of March.
You now have a goal that is only 90 days away which is much more compelling than a goal that you don’t have to think about for twelve whole months.
This simple process is also a great way to check whether your New Year’s resolutions are realistic. When you work out your 3 month resolution, you should feel that this is something you can achieve if you work hard for the next 90 days.
If on the other hand you discover that your 3 month resolution is completely impossible from where you are today, it is likely that your end of year goal is somewhat unrealistic. In this case, you should revise your goals until they feel achieveable. Remember your goals should inspire and motivate you to take action – they shouldn’t scare or intimidate you!
The New Year is a great time to create plans and make a fresh start. So today I’d like to encourage you to use this simple technique to set specific and achieveable New Year’s resolutions for 2008.
This Week’s Action Steps
(1) Divide your end of year resolution in two to create your 6 month resolution
(2) Divide your 6 month resolution in two to create your 3 month resolution
(3) Assess your 3 month resolution to see if it is something you can achieve within 90 days
(4) Revise your goals accordingly
(5) Get started and – Make It Happen!
Until Next Time,
Dare To Dream!
Anthony
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