We're just a few short hours away from another New Year's Eve celebration and I was wondering how many of you make New Year's Resolutions?
I came across some statistics on how many of us will actually keep our New Year's resolution and the results were interesting.
New Year's Resolution Statistics
- 40% of all adults make New Year's resolutions
- 71% keep their resolution for 2 weeks
- 64% are able to keep their goal for 1 month
- 50% last for 3 months
- 46% make it until the 6 month mark
Here are 5 Success Secrets:
1. Keep it Real- Make attainable goals that are realistic for you and where you are at in life. For example, if you plan to run a marathon in the spring and have never even jogged around the block, it is unlikely that you will achieve your resolution. Choosing an unattainable goal is a sure fire way to set yourself up for failure and disappointment.
2. Baby Steps- Sometimes our goals and dreams for the year are so huge that we need to chop them up into bite-sized pieces. If you plan to lose say 40lbs this year, do it in 5lb stages and chart out a course for success where you will feel more empowered and less overwhelmed. You could even reward yourself once you achieve each milestone. If you goal is weight loss though, make you reward something other than food.
3. Plan for Success- Sometimes people get caught up more in the hoopla of resolutions and what other people may want for them, or what others' goals are than what they truly desire for themselves. Hope and will alone will not help you achieve your goal. Without a concrete plan for your success, it is likely that the goal you had will start to become less reachable. Any business owner will tell you that a business plan for the year is key to their success, you need to implement the same sort of plan so you can achieve your personal goal(s).
4. Hold Yourself Accountable- There is no better way to keep yourself held accountable than by sharing your resolution with a friend that will cheer you on, but also kick you in the pants when you need it too. If you live with a roommate; spouse or your children, they can help keep you on track by asking you questions like, "Did you work out for an hour today?". The goals that we keep a secret are the ones that we are less likely to achieve.
5. Get Back on the Horse- Most people who make goals to stop smoking, lose weight, spend more time with family and friends or those who vow to do more volunteer work will slip up every now and then. Life is busy and gets in the way of our goals at times, but even if you eat a huge slice of cake or overfill your calendar one week and can't volunteer, there is always next week to get back on track. There's no reason to call the whole thing off. Girl, just get right back up on that horse and keep on riding!
It is so important to have little rewards to look forward to for meeting each milestone of the larger goals you have, so make time for those and keep them in mind as you work away to reach your dreams. It's always fun to have something to look forward to.
If you don't enjoy making New Year's resolutions or goals for fear of putting too much pressure on yourself, maybe you're simply looking to claim more time back in your life so you can have more YOU time. Here are some inspirational words for you from a previous post as you endeavor to fulfill your dreams and love your life.
What is YOUR New Year's Resolution? I actually just refer to mine as my '2010 goals' and I have many of them vs. just one. To be fair, I'll share mine with you, if you share with me yours. ;) You can always leave an 'anonymous' comment, either way, I'd love to hear from you!
Since I won't talk to you all again until tomorrow, Happy New Year! See you in 2010!
