3 Tips for Following Through on Your New Year’s Resolution

It's that time of year again when most of us start thinking about making New Year's resolutions. Let me ask you, did you actually follow through with what you planned to do last year? Do you even remember what you planned to do last year? If you answered yes to both of these, congrats! You're in the minority. If you answered no to either of these, keep reading!

I believe there are three primary reasons why people fail to keep their resolutions. Resolve these, and you will find yourself making progress this year!

1. WHY

WHY do you want to change? What's the point of this resolution, and what difference do you think it will make in your life? Failing to ask and answer this question leaves us floundering 3 or 4 weeks in, wondering why we are putting in all this effort. Once you figure out why you want to change, WRITE IT DOWN! Read that why again when you start losing momentum.

One good exercise to figure out what things really matter is to try taking the tombstone test and writing your eulogy. What do you want others to write about you when you are gone? Do your day to day habits line up with that description?

2. OVERWHELMED

This year I would like to get fit, get rich, find my soulmate, get married, have kids, buy a house, travel the world, become famous, develop great friendships, move to Florida… Sound familiar? If you try to change everything, what happens? Exactly! Nothing happens!

Write down everything you would like to do, then pick one small thing that leads you in the direction you want to head to work on today. Once you've accomplished that one thing, then you can work on the others, but not until then.

Set milestones on larger goals, and celebrate those when you reach them. Feeling like we are gaining on our overall goal will help keep our head in the game. Try to keep your one small thing to do today to 15 minutes or less. Making your daily goal so small that it seems silly not to do it will help you develop the habit, you can ramp it up later, but for now, just develop the habit. Another trick is to attach the new habit you are trying to form to something else you already have a habit of doing, this will help you remember to do it. For example, after I brush my teeth, I will play on my Total Gym for 15 minutes.

Do not make the mistake of setting so many goals this year that you get overwhelmed and accomplish none of them. Take baby steps toward your goal each and every day, and eventually, you will look up and realize you have arrived at your destination.

3. FORGOTTEN

What did you even resolve to do last year? Do you have it written down where you can see it regularly? I've started making a habit of taking notes whenever I hear good ideas, and I'm constantly amazed when I look back because I forgot half of the stuff I wrote down.

If you don't write it down and put it in a place you will see it regularly, you WILL forget it eventually. You're kidding yourself if you think you will remember. Write it down!

Need help keeping your resolutions? Why not join one of our mastermind groups and work through your goals with others each week? Getting into a supportive community focused on helping you achieve your goals is the most powerful way I know to ensure you achieve your goals. Click here to join.

Good luck!