Happy New Year!

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Happy New Year!

2016 is finally and thankfully behind us and 2017 is upon us.  I’m sure you’re like me, and 62% of all Americans, who spend time thinking through New Year’s resolutions for the coming year.  With the natural break in the calendar comes a good time to reflect on the past year and dream about the new one.  Where can we be better?  What can we invest in more?  How can we improve in our relationships?  Our fitness?  Our finances?  Our job?  The possibilities are endless for new resolutions for the New Year.

So to help in this process, I have put together an easy 5-step plan to make (and keep) the perfect resolutions:

1.  Prioritize.

It is unrealistic to assume we can change several big things in our life at the same time.  We can’t become fit, save money, wake up earlier, and learn to play the guitar all in the same week.  Choose the most important one or two things to start them first.  It’s ok to add more in later; they don’t have to have to be in place January 1.

If you need help brainstorming, here is a link of the most common resolutions:

http://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/

2.  Make SMART resolutions.

S – Specific

  • Good example:  “I resolve to lose 5 pounds a month for the next 12 months.”
  • Not so good example:  “I resolve to lose a bunch of weight as soon as possible.”

M – Measurable

  • Good example: “I resolve to put 10% of each paycheck into my savings.”
  • Not so good example: “I resolve to save money for my trip to the beach.”

A – Attainable

  • Good example: “I resolve to reach out to each neighbor on my street this year.”
  • Not so good example: “I resolve to achieve world peace.”

R – Relevant

  • Good example: “I resolve to have a family meal at least once a week this year.”
  • Not so good example: “I resolve to spend time with my family by working out more.”

T – Timely

  • Good example: “I resolve to do one Rosetta Stone Spanish lesson each week this year.”
  • Not so good example: “I resolve to be fluent in Spanish sometime in my life.”

3.  Be grace-filled.

No one is perfect and no resolution can be held to perfectly.  These are goals to improve, not legalistic behavior modification.  Learn to work hard to achieve each resolution, but also learn to give yourself grace when you don’t quite perform as well as you’d hoped.  Don’t beat yourself up.  Just try again tomorrow.

4.  Incorporate accountability.

It’s easy to come up with great resolutions, but it’s hard to stick to them.  It helps to have accountability in several ways:

- Write the resolution down.  This way it’s easier to remember exactly what the resolution is.

- Make the resolution visible.  Put it somewhere it will be seen everyday.  This way it will remind you to work towards that resolution each day.

- Tell family and friends.  They will be able to support, encourage, remind, and possibly even join in on the resolution.

5.  Re-evaluate.

Re-evaluate the resolution after a couple weeks or months.  In which ways is it successful?  What is still hard about it?  Is there a better way to implement it?  Be flexible and change any resolution that can be improved upon.

I hope this 5-step approach helps you achieve everything you set out to do in the coming year!

Wishing you all the best in 2017!