Those Dumb New Years Resolutions

Happy New Year Ah, those dumb New Year’s Resolutions. Most are made just for the sake of making them and are doomed from the beginning.

May all your troubles last as long as your New Year’s resolutions. ~Joey Adams

New Year’s Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. ~Mark Twain

This is so true. We make them and break them. New Year’s Resolutions were made to be broken. And there are hundreds of New Years quotes that poke fun at this phenomenon. (See also Don’t Make Those Resolutions)

Now, I apologize to all of those who have more resolve then most, and are able to consistently keep and achieve their resolutions. I congratulate you. But for the majority, this is not the case.
What’s the key? What’s the difference between these people and so many others?

He who breaks a resolution is a weakling; He who makes one is a fool. ~F.M. Knowles

Could it be these people are goal setters and treat their resolutions like goals to be believed and achieved? How do we make our well-intended New Year’s resolutions a reality in our lives? We turn them into goals. We just need to do the things that differentiate resolutions from goals.

First, you must know what it is you really want. Don’t make resolutions just for the sake of having them. Don’t say you are going to do or accomplish something just because it seems like the right thing to do. Or just because you feel like you should. Make sure it is something you really want to do. You have to have that mindset.

A very good example is a bad habit or addiction. Habits can be very strong, but not nearly as powerful as the human mind. If you decide to quit a habit because it is no longer socially acceptable, is politically incorrect, or you know it is destroying your health or relationships, but you really enjoy it, you will likely never prevail. On the other hand, if you have made up your mind to quit because it is something you really want, then it is much easier. So, make sure whatever it is you resolve to do is something you really want.

Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account. ~Oscar Wilde

Then we turn these things into goals. We just need to do the things that differentiate resolutions from goals. We start by writing them down, setting a deadline, and making a plan. (See 7 Steps For Setting and Achieving Your Goals)

We all have a human need to feel that we are moving forward and making accomplishments. For me, not having that feeling of accomplishment leaves a void in my life. And we all know that goal-setters are the greatest at accomplishment. Enjoy your feelings of accomplishment. Make your New Years Resolutions Goals and go for them.