Making New Year's Resolutions that Stick

Welcome to 2008!

New Year's resolutions are on nearly everyone's mind today. We have all experienced the excitement of setting a goal for the year, then losing focus as the holiday memories fade. Some of us react by refusing to establish goals or resolutions the next year, to avoid setting ourselves up for failure. Others are eternally optimistic and start off every new year with resolutions to improve ourselves not matter our level of success in the past.

Before you set specific goals this year, begin by considering a more general statement: "I would like my life to be (or I would like to be)________________ during the next year". For example, rather than immediately setting a goal of losing 30 pounds or sticking to an exercise routine 5 days per week, think about what is driving that desire. Your statement could be "I would like to be healthier next year", or "I would like to be more active". Then you can decide specifically what actions you can take to accomplish that general goal. This has the effect of directing your focus on what you truly want to accomplish in the larger sense.

This technique is one of the ways to increase your return on life: Tying your goals and actions to your core principles, values and beliefs, rather than on those imposed externally. We'll talk more about this in the weeks ahead.

There's something about putting a desire in writing that helps bring it to reality, so here's mine: I would like my life to be more active in the coming year. I feel better physically and mentally when I walk, jog, swim, bike, move somehow on a regular basis, and I've gotten sporadic about it. So, this will be my focus for the year.

Give it some thought, then I'd love for you to share your "I would like" statement!