Here is some research in regards to New Year resolutions.
They say that 40% of us will set a New Year’s Resolution.
University of Scranton research suggests that just 8% of people achieve their New Year’s goals.
Why?
Is it because it’s typically a 2 step goal setting and New Year’s resolutions process? I have been guilty of this time and time again until recently.
In about 50% of the instances I have seen it basically starts and stops here in step 1. We come up with the answer to this question.
- What do I want to accomplish?
Example…I want to lose 50lbs. End of story
The next 42% sounds like this. Step 2.
- We figure out the how we are going to do it and when we want to accomplish it by.
I am going to lose 50 lbs by the end of the year (then it includes the how). I will do this by going to gym 3 times and cutting out soda.
Is this what the 8% of people who accomplish their New Year resolutions do? Possibly. What they have done is something we have all applied during some point in our lives; consciously or unconsciously.
Here is the secret to those 8%ers that accomplish their New Year’s resolutions. It can be found in the timeless classic Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Bill Gates has spoken about it.
The secret is, the emotional investment put into one’s goals.
When we are connected and aware of our emotions it sometimes scare us and/or motivate us to get the job done! It comes down to getting real with ourselves.
Have you ever stopped for a moment and noticed that anything you have done and done it well, I am talking real well is because you wanted to experience a certain emotion?
It could be excelling at sports. We may have wanted to be a state champion or beat that one guy or girl. Volunteering for a cause dear to our hearts. Everything we do is tied to our emotions. So if we learn how to manage our emotions we are able to better manage our lives.
Here are 7 simple steps I have learned to creating the emotional fuel and investment to propel you and me to being an 8%er and achieving our goals in 2015. Step 1 and 3 are familiar.
- Write down what is your desired outcome? I am going to shed 20lbs.
- Write down all the reasons why it is important for you to shed those 20lbs. This is the missing piece to most plans. What do you gain? What do you lose? Who will you become? What will happen if you don’t do it? Do not hold back! Really think about it what it means to accomplish your New Year’s goal. You may realize that this goal you want to accomplish doesn’t really matter or that you don’t have enough emotional juice behind it.
STOP… notice how your end result is now different. Before it was lose 20lbs. Now it’s to be able to run a marathon. Play with your kids without losing your breath…etc Emotion!
3. Put together a written plan on how it’s going to get down– Measurement equals motivation. Keep it simple and break it down to bite size activities. Less than 5 or less activities that you can focus on. According to psychologist Lynn Bufka. “Remember, it is not the extent of the change that matters, but rather the act of recognizing that lifestyle change is important and working toward it, one step at a time,” Bufka adds…
4.Reward and celebrate yourself along the way. Focus on the journey vs. the finish line. Set mini achievement points for yourself
5. Enlist someone else to hold you accountable. Tell them your why and the Read Challenge below.
6. Review your progress weekly. Out of sight out mind hold true.
7.Do it now! –if you are serious about making 2015 a landmark year. Start this process now.
2015 is going to be the best year ever. It is my hope that what I have shared with you will impact you as much as it has impacted me. With that being said, I learned one of the keys to success to having someone else hold us accountable to our goals. Once you complete the 2015 planning. Take a picture and send it over to me and 2 other people for a total of 3. Ask each person to hold you accountable.
A year from now we will see who became an 8%er.
Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”
― Oprah Winfrey
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Tony Jalan