With the beginning of a new year many people feel the need to join into the age-old tradition of setting resolutions. Is this something you get involved in?

The most popular New Year’s resolutions are:

• Get In Shape
• Save more money
• Get organized
• Stop smoking
• Drink less
• Eat healthier
• Spend more time with family and friends

By February these are long forgotten. What is the cause of so much failure? Most people don’t bother making resolutions because they are tired of failing every year. People are having a hard enough time keeping motivated each day, without setting a resolution they know they won’t’t keep. So why give yourself another task to fail?

Resolutions are goals

Most people don’t know how to set goals. Or don’t set smaller goals, so bigger goals have a chance of success. Or they set too many goals to succeed at any. The secret to setting goals is:

• Set specific goals – Your goal must be clear and well-defined. Smaller goals to reach the bigger goal.
• Measurable – There must be precise amounts, behaviors, and so on to measure your degree of success.
• Attainable / Achievable – Make sure it’s possible to achieve the goal set.
• Relevant – Does the smaller goal get you to the final goal.
• Time bound – Do you give yourself enough time? Or too much time?

SMART goals have a greater chance of success.

Examples

Most people make a long-term goal of “Get In Shape.” Get in shape is vague. This goal needs to be broken down into smaller, obtainable goals.

• I will park farther from the store in order to walk more.
  • Every time I go to the grocery store I will park as far from the store as I can to get some steps in.
• I will walk 20 minutes in the morning before leaving for work.
  • Monday through Friday, for the month of January, I will walk 10 minutes out (with a 10 minutes return, total of 20 minutes).
• I will do 10 sit-ups and 10 push-ups morning and evening.
  • During the month of February, I will do 10 sit-ups and 10 push-ups before breakfast and dinner.
• I will do 15 minutes of stretching in the morning and evening.
  • Set a specific goal and a time of completion.

Success

When you reach each goal and see results you will feel better about your success and want to continue. Don’t forget to give yourself rewards, celebrate progress along the way, and don’t feel guilty. A reward system is important to keep you motivated. Once you reach a goal, you will need to set a more challenging goal. This will get you closer to the bigger goal.

When you have a setback, don’t give up. When you start new goals, it is easy to miss a small goal. Re-commit and forget the past, it is done. There is nothing to do about the past, except learn from it. Only worry about the future.

Get Help

Can you involve someone else? Is there anyone who might have the same goal? Or, might be able to motivate you by checking on your progress? When working with others with the same hopes and dreams, it can strengthen both involved.

My wife wanted to lose weight. She changed her diet and started walking with a friend. They scheduled a time and a place to walk, and how long they would walk each day. In the beginning they walked slower, then gradually increased the pace. They also increased how long they would walk as their fitness improved. Doing it together gave them a commitment to another person, they depended on each other. They also enjoyed each other’s company while walking so they looked forward to their walks. A double benefit.

Work New Year Resolutions

Most people have resolutions for personal success like mentioned above. Do you have a plan for your success at work?

Are you happy with your place at work? How Great is that, if you are!

Most people want to improve by making themselves more valuable.

Maybe you want to promote. Maybe you want to start your own business.

The secret to improving at work is to have a mentor. Someone with experience in your line of work. Maybe a supervisor, manager, or the owner of the business. Take the time to approach this person, let them know you want to improve your work skills. If there is not enough time to talk, arrange to have a meeting.

You want to ask them to be honest with you. You need to be prepared for their honesty, since you are asking for their help you cannot get upset. It is easy to let what they have to say get under your skin, so approach the meeting with an open mind. Have a list of questions, with space to write their comments. You might want to give this list to the mentor to review ahead of the meeting. Ask them to feel free to add anything you didn’t think of.

Thing to ask:

• What can I do to improve my work skills?
• What classes outside of work I can take to improve?
• What programs provided by the employer?
• Are there areas in your field you have not been exposed to, which will improve your skills?
• What areas in the store or office you could learn that would be helpful for advancement?
• Is there personal advice you would have liked to have known earlier in your career?

Ask about your personal conduct. What ways can you improve yourself to be a better employee? Some areas to consider, but are not limited to the following:

• Empathy
• Confidence
• Active listening
• Body language
• Get along with others
• Procrastination

When talking with your mentor, work out a plan to help you accomplish your goals with work. Make sure to set small goals with reasonable time frames. And set a time to meet again with the mentor to determine your progress.

What organizations that can help improve your skills? Consider joining one of the following:

• Toastmasters International – they help increase your self-confidence, poise, communication and leadership skills.
• Agora Speakers International – they help people develop their public speaking, communication, critical thinking, debating and leadership skills.
• Local community college – public speaking is offered at your local college, with a schedule to meet your needs.
• Service organization – by getting involved with a service club you can expand your network of friends, while helping others in your community.

Conclusion

There is nothing wrong with setting new years resolutions. But how you approach resolutions or goals to improve yourself is important. Make sure you set reasonable goals. Find someone to join in with the goal or who can check in on you and encourage you to work toward your goals.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

How we finish the year depends on how we start the year.

Is your best self behind us? Do you think your future doesn’t look that good? Your wrong! You have much more potential than you think.

Jump in, and enjoy your future success!