Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Never Make a New Year Resolution Before You Read this!

As the year draws to a close, people are thinking about their New Year Resolutions. It's a tradition which dates as far back as 153 B.C.

A New Year resolution is a commitment made by an individual, to a project or the reforming of a habit. It is called the New Year's resolution because the commitment goes into effect on New Year Day. It is worth mentioning that different cultures have different New Year days. But the most common is 1 January.

Simply put, a new year resolution is a goal. As people begin a new year, they set goals and stick to them until they're fulfilled or abandoned. Just like many other goals, new year resolutions are more often than not, abandoned. No doubt, this is the case because very few people have mastered the art of setting goals and achieving them. Recent research shows that while 52% of participants in a resolution study were confident of success with their goals, only 12% actually achieve their goals. The question is, are new year resolutions made just to fulfill a tradition?

The most popular new year resolutions include:
  • Quit smoking
  • Loss weight
  • Enjoy life more
  • Quit drinking
  • Get out of debt
  • Learn something new
  • Help others
  • Get organized
  • Appreciate loved ones and spend more time with family and friends
  • Improve grades
  • Get a better job
  • Reduce stress
  • Be less grumpy
Did your new year resolution for last year make the list? Was it fulfilled or was it abandoned?

If it was abandoned, you have another chance this year. But, before you make another resolution, you have to change your mindset. You can't make another resolution with the same mindset you had last year and expect a different result. More importantly, if you didn't write down your resolution last year, make sure you write it down this year. Write it down where you can always see it. When you have it written down, you'd have a stronger commitment and seeing it everyday will remind you of your commitment.

Above all, if you failed to fulfill your resolution last year, you MUST make the same resolution this year. This will remind you of how much of a failure you were in the past year. The point is, when you fail, just like in school, you have to take the course all over.

Make a self-evaluation. If you sincerely know you fulfilled your resolution last year, raise the bar this year and set a higher goal. That's the only way you'd become a better person and achieve more.

I can't fail to mention those who don't make any resolutions or set clear goals. This is like blowing in the wind. As Jim Rohn said, "it's the set of the sails, not the direction of the wind that determines which way we will go."

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