How Are You Doing On Your Resolutions or Goals?

January is coming to a close, how have your resolutions and/or goals going? Are you keeping up with them? Was it to lose weight, or maybe eat healthier? Perhaps you wanted to spend less money or spend more time with your friends and family? Whatever it is or was, it is not too late to get back on the bandwagon to start again. Just do it for 21 days, and it has become a habit. But why do so many of us fail at goal-setting? Are there secrets to help us succeed? 

Keep it Simple

Many of us use the New Year as an opportunity to make large bucket lists or attempt extreme makeovers, whether personal or professional. This is nice, but the average person has so many competing priorities that this type of approach is doomed to failure. Essentially, you end up failing to launch in the first place. The first solution, is keep your list short. It is sensible to set "small, attainable goals throughout the year, rather than a singular, overwhelming goal". It is the act of recognizing that lifestyle change is important and working towards it, one step at a time.

Make it Tangible

Setting ambitious resolutions can be fun and inspiring, but the difficulty in achieving them can lead to frustration. That is why goals should be bound by rational, achievable metrics. Be specific. Don't say you are "going start", but rather set a clear ambition. If you cannot measure it, it is not a very good resolution because vague goals beget vague resolutions.

Make it Obvious

Chart your goals in some fashion. There is no universal strategy for success, but making a "to-do list" as a reminder has worked from some. While for others, a "vision board" or personal diaries have helps keep their goals in front of them. Share your goals with your friends and family, to build accountability. 

Keep Believing You Can Do It

Setting a goal raises your chance of achieving it, but within weeks or months, people begin to abandon them as they hit bumps along the road, and throw them off their tracks. Keep your goals in front of you and be accountable by sharing them.