How to Make New Year's Resolutions
Work - Every Time

Traditionally, January is a time for making resolutions.

Unfortunately, by the middle of the month, those same resolutions have fallen by the wayside for approximately 85 percent of the population, according to Goal Achievement Specialist Nancy Morris, President of Goal Getter™ Systems and creator of the Goal Getter™ Kit.

There are as many reasons for resolutions failing as there are resolutions. So what can someone do to make sure their resolutions become reality, this time and every time?

According to Morris simply follow these top ten tips for successful resolutions:

1.“Don’t make New Year’s Resolutions,” said Morris. “Sounds ironic, but resolutions are the worst place to start on the path to success. Make goals instead, and make them every month.

Goals set throughout the year are far more meaningful and likely to succeed than those set for the sake of a ritual once a year,” Avoid making January 1 the start date of any goal plan, she advises.

2.Take negative words out of your goals. Focus on what you want using positive words, instead of what you don’t want using negative words. You’ll be focusing your time and energy towards something that is compelling and motivating.

3.Don’t repeat the same goals you’ve made in the past. If you made the same goal before and it didn’t pan out, it probably won’t now. Either get dump it completely or redefine it to be more attractive.

4.Get rid of something you currently have. To make space for something new, you need to get rid of something else that no longer holds any importance for you or is getting in the way.

It could be self-sabotaging behavior, a limiting belief, time-wasters or negative people. “Whatever it is, it has got to go!” advises Morris.

5.Know what you are good at. Reflect on all your accomplishments and successes. For each decade of your life, write down everything you achieved in both your personal and professional life. Pointing to past successes can motivate you to meet your new goals.

6.Let go of unfulfilled past goals. “You may have set goals before and they’ve not worked out. That’s OK. The past does not equal the future. It’s done. Learn from those experiences, and let them go. Focus on achieving your new goals”, councils Morris.

7.Really create a vision of what life will be like once this goal is achieved. For example, if you are looking for a new job or career, imagine how you will spend your day at your new position.

What do you do during working hours? What sort of people are you in contact with? Do you work outside or inside? Do you have many colleagues or just a few, or maybe you work on your own? As your vision becomes clearer, it gets closer to reality.

8.Be prepared to do what it takes. It’s one thing to say that you want something to be different, it’s another to actually make it so. All goals require action to be achieved, otherwise they remain dreams and wishes.

9.What’s already working well? “We often get so caught up in what we don’t have, how things aren’t the way they ‘should’ be or what’s missing from our lives that we forget to look around and acknowledge what we already have,” said Morris.

Create a Gratitude Journal and writing down at least 5 things every day that you are truly grateful for. You will be amazed at what you will discover!

10.Get support. By letting your friends, family or trusted colleagues know what your goals are, you are instantly creating a network that will challenge and support you to be and do your best.