Although the numbers vary, a very large percentage of people never keep their resolutions to the end of January! How is that for setting yourself up for failure? I don’t like the phrase “keep your resolutions”. That sounds like a “do or die” type mentality instead of the way life works. We are all human and a resolution should not include things like “I will NEVER…..” or “I will ALWAYS…..”. If you’ve been a part of our site for very long, you know that we do not like these types of generalities anyway. It’s like “shoulds” – they don’t belong in our language because they are not realistic.

Here’s an excerpt from the FranklinCovey article (which was about 2009 and 2010 Resolutions but in all probability has not changed since the psychology is the same no matter what the year).

“The New Year’s Resolutions Survey found that respondents’ top three New Year’s resolutions for 2010 were similar to those in 2009: (1) improve financial situation, (2) lose weight, and (3) develop a healthy habit like exercise or healthy eating. The top 10 New Year’s resolutions for 2010 were ranked as follows, as compared with last year:

Despite these well-intended New Year’s resolutions, the FranklinCovey Products survey found that a “lack of commitment” was cited by 30 percent of respondents as the primary reason their resolution won’t be reached. “Having too many other things to do” was cited by 22 percent of respondents followed by “forgetfulness” at 18 percent.”

Their 2008-2009 Survey found that 35 percent of respondents break their New Year’s resolutions by the end of January and only 23 percent of those surveyed don’t ever break them. Nearly 40 percent of those surveyed attribute breaking their resolutions to having too many other things to do, while 33 percent say they are not committed to the resolutions they set.

I don’t want you to be in this high percentage of people who do not achieve their goals. Remember that achieving your goals (or successes/achievements/accomplishments or whatever great word you choose for them) has NOTHING to do with the time of year. So, if you find that you’re not committed to an item or that you “don’t have enough time”,  go back to step one and perform an inventory and then look to see if the successes you’ve picked are really YOURS. If not, start over. If they are YOURS, then work on identifying what’s holding you back (and what’s been holding your back). Doing this preparatory work will really help you stick to what you want to accomplish.

Don’t be a number! Be the success I know you can be.

If you want some additional help, consider picking up your copy of “Goal Setting For You“. But if you follow the steps I outlined for you last week, you should be fine!

Terrie