I was thinking about my New Year resolution post I had to write. During a coaching session with one of my clients earlier this week, I got a “light bulb moment” about what this post should be: Keeping New Years resolution. Out of curiosity I decided to do a little research to see if my gut feeling was right about how many resolutions are actually kept and if that data would be available and more importantly identifying what the main reasons would be for not keeping them.
I found out that 50% of resolutions are broken within the first two weeks. I went on to discover that by the end of January a full 95% of resolutions are abandoned. Only 5% of New Years resolutions are kept beyond January. Say what?
This caught my attention. I looked a little harder for the reason so many resolutions fail within such a short amount of time. I found that the majority of resolutions fail due to:
1. Procrastination
2. Lack of discipline
3. No game plan
4. Doing it alone
In summary, I concluded that the majority of resolutions fail because only a small percentage of people with resolutions ever do something about it for real.
Do not let this happen to you.
Whatever your goals are for the New Year, I urge you to put them into action. Do not wait any more. Action creates results. If you’re really serious about making some necessary changes or improvements this year, here are some surefire ways to make them happen.
1. Schedule a Meeting to Map Your Way
Stay with me here. You would not drive anywhere without knowing the way, why would you feel any different for something as important as you. Ask yourself an important question like Where do I want to be, one year from now. And write down your response or make tangible visible in some other way or form . This will give you a clear indication on the direction you need to go.
2. Have a Daily Planning System
We know from above, it would be just plain wrong to drive somewhere without knowing the way. It ís just as important to know why you are going there. Writing down your goals will effectively prove their worth to you, and give you the reason to start driving towards them.
3. Define Your Key Results
Key results provide an indication of your progress toward your goals. These will be milestones or signs that you are heading in the right direction. It ís important to determine your key results and write them down, so you know you re on track.
4. Take Action
Action creates results. Now is the time to take everything you know about your desired goals, and prioritize your activities to achieve results. You can do this by selecting the most productive actions to reach your key results. Take the Pareto principle in mind. The important thing is that you take the actions that will give you the best chance of reaching your objectives. Remember to write these down so you have a concise roadmap to succeed.
5. Get a Coach
Get yourself a professional coach. Having a third party involved in helping you develop your plans or follow up on your action taking is a great added value. Do not go easy on yourself here, find somebody that is willing to confront and has the ability to keep you honest. Getting out of your comfort zone will often result in faster and more profound results.
6. Give Yourself a Reward
If you’ve followed the above for any length of time you’re bound to be making accomplishments. Rewarding yourself will motivate you to further reach your goals. You can now appreciate the fact that you are one of the motivated 5% who made it! Pat yourself on the back – you deserve it.
Once you’ve experienced the power of this kind of goal-setting, it will be hard to do it any other way. But do not delay; take the time right now to define your goals for the coming months/years.
Create your plan and take action. It will distinguish yourself! You will be glad you did!
Have a conscious day!
Filip
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