Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions – The Missing Piece to Improve Your Success Rate
by Theresa Swift
Happy New Year! I enjoy looking forward to each new year . . . I’m expectant and curious to see what the year will bring. Many people make New Year’s resolutions, and as a professional coach, I love helping people achieve those goals!
From the polls I’ve read, this year's top two New Year’s resolutions are: 1) improving health/losing weight and 2) improving finances. Other common resolutions included spending time with loved ones and pursuing a career ambition. I found it encouraging that the percentage of Americans with a hopeful outlook for the year hasn’t declined from last year.
How are you doing on your resolutions and goals?
Many articles claim, by the end of January, the resolution “failure rate” typically lands between 60-80%! Some of the reasons listed for failures consisted of no plan, no accountability, no progress tracking, and unrealistic goals.
Certainly, those are helpful mechanics to achieving goals. But I think there’s another, more intrinsic reason . . . Beliefs. The beliefs you have about yourself. While you are trying to reach a goal, do you believe in yourself?
An important step to achieving any resolution or goal – especially one that’s meaningful to you – is to ask, “What do I believe about myself?”
- Do I believe I’m capable?
- Do I believe I’m resourceful?
- Do I believe I have self-discipline? Resilience?
- Do I believe I’m loveable?
- Do I believe I am smart? Reliable?
- Do I believe my past cycles or habits will sabotage me?
- Do I believe I’ll be alone in this, and no one will care or support me?
- Do I believe the things I do or say won’t make a difference anyhow?
When you do this introspection, it will help you identify areas to move out of your way. It empowers you to be successful along the journey to achieve your goals. Otherwise, when the journey becomes difficult, chances are that a non-useful, inaccurate, limiting belief will convince you to stop. It’ll say, “That’s OK. You didn’t really want it anyway,” and build a justification to stop. It’ll even feel comfortable, because deep down you’ve felt it before. It’s not a new feeling.
Resolutions don’t have to end that way. I encourage you to be hopeful about setting resolutions and goals. If you find yourself hesitating to take steps towards something you want to achieve, check in. Check in on your self-beliefs. Assess any lies you might be believing. Find a friend or resource to help you overcome them, and toss aside those negative, hindering beliefs. A shift in your mindset or "processing" one false belief, can be the kick-start you’ve wanted!
You are resourceful. You are powerful. You are amazing. You are creative.
Don’t let your inner thoughts get in the way of your life. Imagine -- with hope -- how your year might unfold! Take a minute. Breathe it in. It’s a new year.
