Tag Archives: growth

Just How to Keep a New Year’s Resolution

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All of the research says that less than 50% of individuals will keep their New Year’s Resolutions.  Why?  There are lots of reasons and they include:

* The resolution is unrealistic.

* There is no action plan as to how to achieve the goal.

* There are too many resolutions.

* There is no support system in place.

The list can go on, but you should be able to see a trend.  People set resolutions or goals without thinking about how they might achieve them.  In order for a resolution to hold, you must have a plan.  And, you have to work the plan.  So here are a three tips as to how you can be part of the group that not only sticks to your resolution – but actually achieves the underlying intent.

1) Write it down.  Yes, you have heard this one before.  Writing down your goals sets you toward achieving them.  Why?  By writing the goal down, you have had to formally articulate what the goal is.  This helps you to think about the nuisances of your goal. When you write the goal be specific, and draw a picture as to what it means.  Thus, it is no longer a vague “lose weight” but you make it concrete, “I will lose 10 pounds.”

2) Make it a daily habit.  According to Covey, it takes three weeks to make a habit.  So, think about what you can do on a daily or regular basis to help you stick to your resolution.  If your resolution is to lose weight, your daily habit might be to journal the foods you eat.  If your resolution is to read more, set 5 minutes a day to read that book on your bed side table.  The key is to make it a habit.

3) Figure out your support system.  This can be finding an accountability partner or even setting email reminders or posting notes on the refrigerator.  You may even have to develop a reward or a point system.  And, yes there may be even an App for that.  The key is to find to provide yourself with both accountability and a means to get you back on track if you falter.

With these three tips, you are likely to develop a positive habit and set yourself on a path to stick to that resolution.  My New Year’s Resolution?  Sticking to the plan that I developed for the goals that I set last year.

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Today’s Leadership Insights

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As previously mentioned, finding your own personal leadership style requires some self-discovery.  Julie Bawden Davis – posted a blog a couple of days ago titled “What the best leaders know about themselves.” https://www.openforum.com/articles/what-the-best-leaders-understand-about-themselves/?extlink=of-syndication-sb-p

In this blog – she captures some of the fundamental questions that you need to know about yourself.  The interesting thing is – while these things are something that impact our actions – we may not have formally articulated them in our own minds, or in words – be it oral or written in a journal. 

If a friend or interviewer were to ask you – “What energizes you about your work?” – Could you immediately come up with an articulate coherent answer?  Do you have your elevator speech ready for this one?  

If you wrote the answer down today – would it change as you thought about it over the next week?  I would suggest that you try it and see what happens.  Of course as we grow and hit different stages of life – there will be some modification to how we answer each of these questions – but fundamentally there is a sense of what drives you personally.  How you approach the world – your fundamental self.

We need to nurture and understand that fundamental self.  We need to feed it.  We need to allow it to grow and expand.  We need to know what hurts or kills it.  This type of exercise helps you focus on those things.