When all the colorful christmas light are turned off and the everyday kicks in, people often feel the so called New Year bummer rest heavily on their shoulders. And indeed can January be a long and dark month often filled with storms and horrible weather, but I try to see it as a great opportunity to make a fresh start.
I make lists of goals and dreams, and plan how to make (bigger) success in the coming months. (I also use a whole lot of time browsing through the spring fashion online dreaming of summer and sun, but that is a whole other discussion.)
Here are few tips that I find very helpful on how to make goals and what is more important how to keep them.
1. Nothing big gets accomplished in one day. Resolutions are set in one day, but accomplished with a hundred tiny steps that happen throughout the year. New Year’s resolutions should be nothing more than a starting point.
2. Be realistic by setting achievable goals.
3. Aim for things that are truly important to you, not what you think you ought to do or what others expect of you.
4. Write down your resolutions and plans. Make a list that you can revisit often to remind your self to stay on track. And be specific and list everything. For example if you want to lose weight write down how many kg and put down dates for small goals along the way.
5. Describe your resolutions in specific terms. Instead of “I don’t want to be lazy,” opt for “I want to exercise regularly” or “I will cut down on my television watching.”
6. Break down large goals into smaller ones and recognize partial successes at every step along the way
7. Be Flexible, your plans might change and unexpected things will come your way. Embrace it and include the changes in your plan.
8. The columnist and business speaker Harvey Mackay once said “If you fail to plan – you plan to fail”
| Published on January 4, 2012 | New Year’s Resolutions