New Year's Resolutions - Set Goals Not Resolutions

It is a tradition for people to make New Years Resolutions each year. It makes you feel good. The idea of starting a new year and to become a new you is very enticing and inspiring

However, did you know that most all people have abandoned their new years resolutions by the third week in January? That is because of the failure and discouragement of past failures from resolutions that they did not keep.

Don't let past disappointments and mistakes keep you from growing and being all that you can be. Instead of making a bunch of new years resolutions that you know are just good intentions and will be dropped in just a few weeks, find your purpose and your vision.

These are the top resolutions in the United States and 47 other countries that were surveyed:

1.Earn more money
2.Lose Weight
3.Get organized
4.Manage time better
5.Spend more quality time with family
6.Reduce debt
7.Help others
8.Find soul mate or work on marriage
9.Find a better job
10.Quit Smoking

I think we all have had one or more of these resolutions on our list year after year. But why do we stop and give up on these well intended resolutions that are healthy and doable? Most people have no idea why they quit before they accomplished these resolutions. The rest said that they were not 100% committed to doing it, lack of self confidence, poor planning, lack of time management, lack of energy, lack of support and fear.

These obstacle are all ones that are reasonably remedied. If you reach out to others for support you will find support, if you get a coach to inspire you, you will be inspired to develop time management skills, you can read books on dealing with fear, there are just so many options that in the end these are all just excuses.

Resolution is from the word, 'resolve'. Resolve means to decide with determination and a fixed and firm purpose. So if you are not 100% committed to reaching a resolution it is not then a resolution! You need to be 100% committed! 63.8% of the people surveyed said that the reason they quit their new years resolutions was because they were not committed. Well, then, that is not a resolution. It is only a wish, a fantasy or an idea until you become 100% committed to that resolution.

The next most stated reason was a lack of self confidence coming in at 45.3% of those surveyed. The only way to build self confidence is through repeated action steps that lead to increased confidence. Taking baby steps towards a goal, feeling the success of each step increased one's confidence to take the next step. Many times there is more behind this reason than meets the eye. I have helped many people discover what is really holding them back.

You must break down your resolutions into bite size pieces that you can manage. Doing a little bit each day towards your goals is far better than trying to do it all in one day.

43.1% said that poor time management was the reason they could not reach their resolutions. There are 525,600 minutes in one year and every single minute counts. It is easier if you decide ahead of time how you will spend each of those minutes. Once they are spent you will never get them back. You can replace money but you can not replace time. You need to figure out what your priorities are in order to reach your goals. So many times we are doing things that have nothing to do with reaching our goals. Most of us need to learn how to say 'No".