Simple Strategies to Achieve Your New Year’s Resolutions

There’s a reason why most people give up on their New Year’s resolutions. It’s because
they’re big on dreams, but little on action. Just like most things in life, you shouldn’t
decide to undertake major life changes on a whim.

If you’re truly serious about setting yourself up with a lasting New Year’s resolution, treat it
like any other major life goal. State your intentions, plan out your actions, and maintain the
will to follow through.

State Your Goal

When it comes envisioning your goal, don’t be afraid of dreaming too big or being too
specific. During this phase you don’t want to hold yourself back. The sky is truly the limit.

Then fill in the details with achievable tasks that will enable you to reach your goal. If you
want to lose weight, specify how much and by when. If you want to give up an addiction,
specify what you’re going to do to make it happen.

Consider these goal setting tips:

• Set an attainable goal. Remember that you’re not superman (or superwoman).
• Be clear. State your goal in as few words as possible, but make your end goal clear.
• Be honest. Ensure you’re setting this goal because it’s something that you want to
  change in yourself.

Have an Action Plan

Some people fall short simply because they failed to create an action plan. However,
without a plan you’ll make your goal much more difficult, if not impossible, to achieve.

Here are some tips for creating an action plan:

1. Break your plan into parts. If you take everything in all at once, it may seem
   overwhelming. If you break your plan up, though, you’re only looking at a bunch of
   mini goals. You’ll already be seeing the end of the tunnel when you begin, so you’ll
   find it easier as you complete each step.
2. Keep your mind on your goal. As you plan out each step toward your goal, keep
   that New Year’s resolution in mind. There’s a reason why you picked that goal to work
   on for the New Year. It’s because it’s important to you.
3. Include motivation. Motivation might be the thing that gives you the most trouble.
   You may start out exceptionally motivated, but then tend to lose that enthusiasm as the
   year progresses. Remember to write certain motivations into your plan for when the
   chips are down.

Follow Through

Imagine how good you’ll feel when you achieve success with your New Year’s
resolution! Rather than being part of the masses of people who simply forget their
resolution, you can be one of the few who achieve their goal.

Do whatever it takes to keep yourself pumped as you follow through. You might want to set
certain reminders for yourself. For example, you can start each month by re-reading the goal
you declared on January 1st.

In the end, the process is quite simple. State your goal, have an action plan, and then follow
through with that plan. Remember that you can do anything when your mind is in the right
place and you take action to get what you want!