“40 to 45% of American adult make one or more resolutions each year.
Among the top new years resolutions are resolutions about weight loss, exercise, and stopping to smoke. Also popular are resolutions dealing with better money management / debt reduction.
The following shows how many of these resolutions are maintained as time goes on:
– past the first week: 75%
– past 2 weeks: 71%
– after one month: 64%
– after 6 months: 46%”
At Jumpstart:HR I’m all about change and making a fresh start in the areas of HR Consulting and Compliance and Leadership Training. The biggest setback to accomplishing any goal is that we can get in our own way sometimes. If you’re not careful, here are some of the reasons why you will fail your resolutions this year (and what to do to prevent yourself from getting in the way):
- You don’t have a plan. If you don’t have a set plan of action, you have no real stimulus to bring about positive change. When you create a goal or a resolution you must include an action plan.
- Your resolutions intimidate you, and you can’t overcome that fear. Fear can be a huge de-motivator as well. It’s not a problem for your resolutions to be huge or intimidating, the problem is thinking that you cannot achieve them. Consider finding ways to channel your fear into action and moving forward in spite of fear. Look back on times when you’ve accomplished other huge goals in the past and draw encouragement from past victories.
- You’re lazy. If you’re lazy, odds are your goals won’t be accomplished. Your goals won’t work unless you do. Overcome the mental block of laziness by setting small goals and instilling within yourself a sense of urgency that lets you remember just why they goal was important in the first place.
- You’re doing it because someone else told you to. “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” Unless you want this resolution for yourself, it’s going to be tough to find the motivation to do it. Especially if you find yourself having to rationalize the resolution each step of the way.
- Your goals are too large and you haven’t broken them into pieces. Big goals are intimidating, small goals are not. Remember that Rome, the Great Wall of China nor the Apple Empire were built in a day. Big goals are accomplished by a serious of small actionable steps that lead you in the direction of accomplishing your dream. Imagine small steps as the ax that slowly but surely whittles away at your “big goal” tree.
- You haven’t asked for help. Get a mentor, counselor, training buddy, adviser, someone! If you don’t seek help you will have a hard time accomplishing your goal and you’ll probably be going about it the most ineffective way.
- You think you have all the answers. Think you have all the answers and resources to help you accomplish your goal? Well how did that work for you in the last year? If you haven’t learned anything new then odds are you will attempt to solve your problem the same exact way that you did last year. Seek out help and go into your new year with an open mind.
- No one around you is setting an example or trying to acheive the same goal. Sometimes it’s best to run in a pack of people that are all working towards the same goal. Consider the fact that most marathon runners work together as a team and personal trainers are there to help you get in shape in the gym. Find people who have similar goals as you for your business and personal goals. Help encourage one another, provide tips to succeed and be there for accountability and feedback in the event that someone falls behind.
Did I miss anything? What prevents you from accomplishing a goal and how do you overcome that challenge?
If you are looking for a consultant to help you with your HR Department or to grow your skills and impact as a leader,
send me an email and let’s give you and your organization a boost!