So are you that person that says in the New Year I am going to start doing something or change a bad habit? Do you let yourself slide or fall short in the month of December because in the New Year you will fix everything that went wrong? According to a report from the University of Scranton only 8% of people stick to a New Year resolution. With those kinds of statistics is it even worth setting yourself up for a failed commitment? I am here to advise you that this year you should skip the resolution and make changes and improvements when you are READY!
Traditions: It’s A Ritual To Try and Fail
The worst thing you can do is create resolutions year after year to be broken. It’s as if you know you have failed every year and just for fun you are setting another soon to be failed goal…..because it’s a ritual. Break your ritual. Do not set the resolution until your are ready to take on the habit. If you are ready on January 1st then that is when you start. If you are ready on March 31st then that is when you start. Unless you are in the 8% that stick to your resolution then it would be advised to take on your resolution during a time when you “want” to change.
Easy Gratification: Results with Habits
Many people make resolutions that only have a result in mind. Such as I am going to lose 30 pounds, increase my sales by 50%, run a marathon, or get a better paying job. I am not saying these are bad goals or resolutions….they just aren’t resolutions they are results. If you are set on reaching these resolutions you need to be ready to create habits to help you reach the desired goal. In order to reach that result I need to create successful habits and practices. For many of us the only habit we create with resolutions is the habit of creating another “failed New Year Resolution”. You have given yourself a pass to fail because that’s what people do with most New Year Resolutions.
Commitment: Creating Goals is Not Just for Fun
Commitment and goal settings should NOT be done for fun or because everyone else is doing it. Goals and the efforts to reach them are big achievements. The feeling of accomplishment for small and big goals is an overwhelmingly good feeling. It will help build your confidence and the feeling of pride. To make a mockery of goal setting creates a mindset of “it’s okay to quit” or regret.
So this year free yourself from the pressure and only make goals and commitments when you are available to reach for the targets. Whether your goals are business or personal related break the trend of setting yourself up for an “acceptable” broken resolution. It should never be acceptable to let yourself down with goals let alone create a tradition out of it.