resolutionOH NO, not  another resolutions article!  Everyone starts preaching about what you have to start doing and what you have to stop doing.  There is a lot of pressure to come up with a plan for the year, especially since the holidays have most likely consumed much of your money! 

But it is not about what you say you have to do or don’t do this year.  It is about mindset.  And more importantly, it is about setting a long-term mindset.

Maybe this year, something will click and you will be one of the few that make changes for the RIGHT reasons? 

I have already heard many people use the term “buckle-down” and explain all of the changes they have to make.  To me, that implies that you have to start doing things you don’t like and that you HAVE TO make all sorts of changes.  This is a reason that many people start working out and stop shortly thereafter.  Because they punish themselves and they associate these new actions with negativity.  You need to associate your changes with positive things.  If you want success, then there are things you have to do, but you have to WANT to.

A few years ago, I went to a great seminar with my friend Gabe Padva from 30,000 Feet Stretegies and he asked everyone in the room to take a minute and write down everything they had to do during the upcoming week.  While they were doing that, he asked, “How does everyone feel when they start making and reaidng their lists?”  He was met with:

  • “Stressed”
  • “Overwhelmed”
  • “Worried”
  • “Anxious”

When he asked me why I didn’t write anything down and looked so relaxed, I said, “That’s because I don’t have anything I HAVE to do this week.  Everything on my agenda are things I CHOOSE to do.  And I am looking forward to all of it because it is part of my plan.”

Don’t tell Gabe, but I think that was when we kinda bonded…

The trick to crafting and sticking to resolutions is not just stating the actions and tasks you have to do, but altering your mindset.  Try these steps:

  1. Think about who you aspire to be.  Not someone else, but the future version of yourself.  Then determine the behaviours and lifestyle that person would choose.  Start acting like that TODAY.
  2. Set SMART goals and work them all the way back to what you need to do today. Remember that SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.
  3. Get excited about your goals and DECIDE how badly you want them.  What does that mean to you?  If you can change that aspect of your life, how would that affect your mood, relationships, well-being?
  4. Write down what you are willing to do to achieve your goals.  Put them in front of you so you can see them every day.  Not in your phone.  Not on a computer file.
  5. Tell everyone you can about your goals.  This will then make you not only accountable to yourself but to others as well.

And then next month, when all of the excitement of your resolution fizzles, look at what you are doing and think about if you are serious about wanting success.

I would love to hear how everyone is going to tackle their goals this year.  post comments and let’s discuss!  I have many projects on the go, and am very excited for what this year will hold and I want to see as many people around me achieve THEIR goals!

Now is the time of year where everyone posts a motivational video.  Usually they are all the same, but for some reason, this one resonated with me:

Joe Girard
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