Back to Articles
New Years Resolutions Are BORING 
Let’s be honest, most New Years Resolutions last about as long as it takes for the champagne you’ve been drinking on New Years Eve to wear off. But we know change is generally a good thing. As we grow and evolve we move outside of our comfort zone and improve our self confidence and self esteem. Also, success likes momentum - and change can create the action we need to take to get the results we want in our life.
So why is the new year a good time to make those changes you’ve been thinking about? Here’s the top three reasons:
1) It’s Social
You’re not the only one making promises to yourself as part of a new years resolution, so it’s more socially acceptable to talk about your new goals and gain the support of those around you. Enjoy this support but beware – when your friends’ resolutions fizzle out a few weeks later it’s important to protect yourself from their resignation and remain true to your own choices.
2) You Can Start A-Fresh
A new year also brings a change in season and a new calendar. You can literally tear of the year before and start fresh with a clean slate and everything in your favour. The whole year is ahead of you and it’s up to you to design this next chapter in your life.
3) You Have a Great Measuring Stick
It’s easy to know how you’re going with your new goals with a start date you can’t possibly forget. You’ve also got a 12 month count down that will be ever present as the year ticks through the months towards the end of the year. Don’t under estimate the power of a deadline, question if there is anything you could have achieved the past year if you had stuck to a goal you set for yourself.
So while new years resolutions aren’t for everyone, if you are intent on setting some here’s a couple of quick things to know:
The human brain generally does not like change. It’s designed to hard-wire short cuts for our thoughts, emotions and activities for optimum efficiency to make your life simpler. Creating a big change in your behaviour or way of thinking will require new wiring, which will take up energy. So expect some resistance.
It can take up to three months to create a new habit so you will need something to keep you going with your new years resolution once the initial excitement wears off.
When making your promises to yourself about what you want to change make a note of all the compelling reasons why you have decided it’s important to make the change. It can be in point form, images cut out and pasted to a vision board or even a letter or mp3 recording to yourself. Anything that you can refer to that will have meaning to you and help you keep your goals on track.
It’s also important to start the new year with all of your 2009 goals ‘put to bed’. Whether your goals are completed or not, take some time to focus on your success and achievements in 2009. The more positive evidence you can focus on the greater the chances of creating more positive success in 2010.
Here’s some other tools you might find useful:
Our past article on S.M.A.R.T. Goals.
Ready Set Goal - the 50 page Goal Setting eBook by Wendy Buckingham.
Goal Setting Software - for those who want to see and work on their goals on screen.
|
|
