My Resolution Delusion - and what you should do about it

HAPPY NEW YEAR and wow, January is over.  Did you make any resolutions?  Did you think about last year's goals and how well you succeeded at them? 

Make this year different.

How often have you started the year off with lots of enthusiasm for a particular thing, only to discover that by the end of January it was a distant memory?  I'm sure your goal was real.  I'm sure you had every intention of accomplishing it.  So what really happened?  For me, it's the Resolution Delusion.

Resolutions come from great ideas.  Resolutions come from excitement.  Resolutions come from wanting a fresh start or a new perspective on things.  I love resolutions and the promise of accomplishment and achievement.

However, as time passes, something changes.  Maybe like me, you experience a lack of motivation, an emotional letdown, even general overwhelm with all the other things that need to be done.  And really, thats ok - I've even come to expect it.  If keeping resolutions were really so easy, there wouldn't be so many tips for how to keep them. 

The Resolution Delusion happens because of misunderstanding or even a misbelief, about the resolution.  One key to keeping a resolution is to set  goals that directly relate to it.

Most everyone who talks about goals refers to making them SMART.  SMART is an acronym I learned quite a while back, and while it works some of the time, it doesn't work all of the time.  If you don't know about writing SMART goals, go to http://topachievement.com/smart.html and read up on them. 

I have a goal to be physically stronger.  Using the SMART system helps me identify the specifics, like deciding how much stronger and by what date.  It gives me the opportunity to map out action steps like running rather than walking with the dog and adding a specific type of weight lifting routine during the week.

One reason just using the SMART system alone may not work is because it lacks an essential reference.  Anything you decide to do must have a certain degree of importance to you or, eventually, you just stop doing it.  Maybe, you never really get started.

Knowing exactly what is valuable to you will help you be more successful with accomplishing goals.  Before identifying goals, first list your VALUES.  Do you believe time is important?  Perhaps you are more esoteric and value something like Beauty.  Whatever it is, having a clear understanding of what you value creates a strong foundation for turning your Resolutions into Reality.

Write down your life's principles, then write your goals.   Afterward, see whether the goal maps to a specific value from your list.  If not, you're less likely to be committed enough to complete the goal, so go ahead and take it off the list. 

Here is an example:   My goal to be stronger comes from wanting to actively play with my kids, which for me, includes picking them up.  Ever remember asking your dad or mom to swing you around and hearing, "You're too big…"?  I don't want to have to say that to my 6yr old who is 60lbs. 

Because one of my highest values is Health and Wellness, this is a goal that I will  achieve because it is directly related to what is most important to me.

My goal also has other SMART components because it's specific - picking up 60lbs - as well as measurable - I can either do it, or I can't.

What about you?  Take a look at your resolutions again and decide which of your values support it.  If there is a connection, you're on the path toward successfully achieving it!

In an upcoming post, I'll give you THE most important tip for keeping resolutions.

To a resolute you,
Dawn