HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope everyone had a safe a happy time during the recent celebration of 2011. Now that the new year is here, I am sure that many of you have some resolutions in place to make improvements. It may be related to how you look, how you perform at work, or even quitting a bad habit.
Setting and accomplishing goals is not always an easy task. Making your resolutions complete will take some work. How do you plan to make your changes stick? Yes. I said plan.
Too often, we set a goal without actually digging into what will be required to achieve it and setting an effective plan in place for how to best succeed. This is one of the main reasons we may fail at reaching our new goal.
I know we are already almost two weeks into the year and many have already given up on completing their task. However, it is not too late to change the things you want to change. Who said you had to do it at the beginning of the year anyway?
So, if you have not yet created your plan of attack, step back and look at ways to best win when it comes to your goal.
Part of being a new year is also a time for reflection. A time of year to look back at the decisions of last year and, maybe, many years past. Is this your first New Year's resolution? I doubt it. Did you have a resolution last year? If so, what was it? More importantly, did you succeed? If not, look at the steps you took to get where you needed to be. Figure out what did not work before and fix it.
Also, do not set your goals too high. It makes failure that much more likely. A common goal: lose weight. Do not set a goal to lose 15 pounds. Set a goal to lose five pounds by the end of February. Five by April and another five by June. Just in time for summer, you have lost your 15 pounds. It sounds easier because it is easier.
What ever your goal, don't quit! Remember, even if you slip, you should not allow yourself to completely fall. Get back on track and finish.
Good luck and have a Happy Year!