Volunteer to help others, practice life skills, use civic virtue, give to charityWikipedia shares that “Recent research shows that while 52% of participants in a resolution study were confident of success with their goals, only 12% actually achieved their goals. A separate study in 2007 by Richard Wisemen from the University of Bristol showed that 78% of those who set New Year resolutions fail, and those who succeed have 5 traits in common.[5] Men achieved their goal 22% more often when they engaged in goal setting, (a system where small measurable goals are being set; such as, a pound a week, instead of saying "lose weight"), while women succeeded 10% more when they made their goals public and got support from their friends.”
I have learned the hard way, as I am sure that most of you have as well, that setting goals/resolutions is the easier part of the tradition, the hardest part, keeping them. On that note, I have also learned that if the goals/resolutions are set the right way, we can set ourselves up for success. Here are are a few of things, in no particular order, to consider when setting and keeping your New Year’s Resolutions:
· “That which you resist, persist”
o We have all heard this statement. We need to focus our lives on who we want to be, rather than on who we don’t want to be. Rather than running from something, running to something…Running to a new desired state rather than from an existing state. This allows us to move forward. What we focus on is what we will achieve.
· “Do it to yourself, for yourself”
o Make sure that you are doing for you, not for somebody else. If it’s not for you, it will lack personal meaning, energy and commitment.
· “You get hurt when you play half speed”
o I had a coach that would tell team that the fastest way to get hurt was to play half-speed. This proved to be true. If you are not playing at 110%, you’re in the game, just not fully committed. In life “half-speed” represents being partially mentally committed. And if you’re partially mentally committed, so are your efforts. Is it any wonder then that you would get less than full results with less than full commitment/effort? Play Full Speed!
· “Showing Up is half the battle”.
o Recently I was listening to a radio talk show host talk with an open line call regarding the callers difficulty in achieving her new workout goal. The talk show host then suggested that instead of worrying about the workout, that the caller simply get dressed in her exercise gear and “show up”. That once she simply showed up, she would naturally engage in the workout. I have since tried this with my own workouts, I simply show up. Takes the anxiety out of the picture and the workout is never as bad as I think it will be. Moral: don’t overcomplicate or emotionalize, find your trigger and just show up. The rest will come.
· “Break it Down”
o On one occasion, I happened to be near a technician who was trouble shooting a very complicated piece of equipment. I wondered over and began watching him diagnose the equipment. I was entranced by the process. I then asked him how he did this (diagnose this complicated equipment)? His answer, “I break it down into its component parts”. Although a simple response, it was a profound response. A response that can be applied to almost any situation in life. A response that when I practice, I achieve great results, and when I don’t practice, I achieve less than great results. Moral: to be successful with resolutions/goal setting, break them down to their component parts i.e. it is not enough to say that my goal is to be fit, this is too nebulous. Break it down – how, when, how often, etc.
· Commit to 21 Days (not to a year)
o Dr Maxwell Maltz wrote the bestseller Psycho-Cybernetics. Originally a Plastic Surgeon, Maltz noticed that it took21 days for amputees to cease feeling phantom sensations in the amputated limb. From further observations he found it took 21 days to create a new habit. Since then the '21 Day Habit Theory' has become an accepted part of self-help programs.
Brain circuits take engrams (memory traces), and produce neuroconnections and neuropathways only if they are bombarded for 21 days in a row. This means that our brain does not accept ?new? data for a change of habit unless it is repeated each day for 21 days (without missing a day)." http://www.aristotle.co.nz/library/series.aspx?seriesId=61
o When we want to start something or give up something, smoking for example, you might normally say to yourself “Right, that’s it, I’m giving up for good”. Immediately your brain kicks in and says no smoking for life, and then it starts to think of all the situations it likes a good cigarette in. Your brain thinks ‘lack of’ instead of the benefits of. It can’t really think as clearly about the benefits because it hasn’t yet had the benefits of giving up smoking but it knows the supposed pleasures that smoking brings.
o If you tell your mind you want to try something for 21 days it won’t be so unwilling to co-operate.
o Three to four weeks is all the time you need to make a habit automatic. If you can make it through the initial conditioning phase, it becomes much easier to sustain. A month is a good block of time to commit to a change since it easily fits in your calendar.
· Start Simple:
o Don’t try to completely change your life in one day. It is easy to get over-motivated and take on too much. If you wanted to study two hours a day, first make the habit to go for thirty minutes and build on that.
· Be Imperfect:
o Don’t expect all your attempts to change habits to be successful immediately. It took me four independent tries before I started exercising regularly. Now I love it. Try your best, but expect a few bumps along the way.
· Use “But”
o A prominent habit changing therapist once told me this great technique for changing bad thought patterns. When you start to think negative thoughts, use the word “but” to interrupt it. “I’m no good at this, but, if I work at it I might get better later.”
I hope these goal/resolution tips are helpful to you, and help you make 2012 one of your best years ever.
Good luck and Happy New Year!
