How to Harness the Power of New Year's Resolutions – For the Whole Year!

Happy New Year and Welcome to 2017! As I write this, I welcome the familiar mix of excitement and relief at the notion of being able to start again with a clean slate – of being able to put the past behind me and look to a future "fresh, with no mistakes in it". (Wink to all the L.M. Montgomery fans out there!) 

With so many of us making obligatory New Year's Resolutions, I know I am not alone in connecting to the special energy of that clean slate feeling. I also know that it doesn't take long for the slate to suffer it's first handful of scuffs and dings, marring our resolve to hold on to that "make a change for the better" mentality!

It is easy to get derailed, distracted, and discouraged. Getting off track is so common that we make bets about who in our circle of family and friends will either fall first or hold out the longest (where one month is setting the bar high)! 

But our intentions are so good! When was the last time you heard someone make a resolution with the desire to make his or her life worse? We make resolutions from a place deep within that knows what changes need to happen in order to feel more secure, happy, or fulfilled. This is noble! How dare we give up on this so easily?! 

With that in mind, my goal for this post is to help you meet those resolutions so that on New Year's Eve 2017, you're celebrating not just the arrival of a new blank slate, but the incredible, successful story you've written all over the old slate – scuffs, dings and all! 

---

Building A Framework for Success - 5 Ways to Help Yourself

What most people don't realize is that meeting your resolutions requires more than one step. When you stop at simply making a resolution and hoping this is the year it will stick, the likelihood of failure is extremely high. The solution is to build a framework of support for yourself along the way. A little extra effort up front has the potential to pay off hugely  in the long run.

1. Have a vision! And I mean a really specific, detailed, technicolor vision instead of just a vague, abstract concept. Then, get emotional about your vision! Vividly imagine what it would feel like to have achieved your goal. How would your life be better? Imagine how others would respond to you knowing that you followed through. Make the effort to emotionally invest in this vision so that it becomes hard to turn your back on it later. Research has proven time and time again that having a clear picture of your goal, coupled with an emotional attachment to that goal, drastically increases your likelihood of success. For a motivational boost during the tough times, revisit your vision along with those feelings of future accomplishment.

2. Incorporate friends and family into your strategy. Like a marathon runner who strategically places her friends along the course for support and motivation, ask your friends to help you in specific ways and at specific times. Think about what support you are likely to need, when you are likely to need it, and who in your circle can meet those specific needs. Then, don't be shy about asking that person to help you. The conversations might feel a little strange at first: "Hey Carol, I know you're always up early, so for the next two months, whenever the temps fall below freezing in the AM, will you pester me with early morning texts to make sure I'm getting my running shoes on instead of staying in bed? In exchange, I promise you a loaf of my banana bread and a spa day together when the weather warms up! Pretty please?" These people are your friends for a reason. Have faith in them! They are likely to step up in new and surprising ways. 

3. Plan accountability checks. As wonderful as friends and family are, there will be plenty of occasions when it isn't possible for someone else to hold you accountable for your actions. So, you must do it yourself. Create regularly spaced events or situations that hold you accountable to your goal. If your goal is to start running, sign up now for an appropriate event like a 5K a couple of months down the road. If you want to cook more vegetarian meals, set a date for a vegetarian-only dinner party and send out the invitations now. The key is to put your accountability checks in place well before your motivation disappears. Chances are good that when you've cleared your own hurdle, you'll experience a surge in motivation – and that's just the time to plan your next accountability check! 

4. Practice. It is important to acknowledge that your resolution probably involves trying something new, or at the very least, returning to a habit you haven't practiced in a while. All new/rusty things require patience and practice. There are two important things to remember about practice: 1.) Quality is more important than quantity and 2.) Short, regular bursts of practice are far better than long, but inconsistent or infrequent bursts. So, if you're trying to learn a new language, find a language club that meets every week instead of once a month. If you're trying to get home from work earlier, try leaving five to ten minutes early every day rather than half an hour early two times a week. 

5. Make/Prioritize the time.  This is arguably the hardest item on the list. Numerous legitimate demands are made upon your time every day. It is so easy to sacrifice anything that feels even remotely superfluous to the loudest and most pressing demands. But when your resolution starts tumbling down your list of priorities, take a moment to think about what else is falling with it - a sense of accomplishment, a new or renewed sense of self, your ability to follow through on a commitment. All of these take a hit too, and I would argue that these aren't self-centered indulgences at all. There's more going on here than just some petty New Year's Resolution. Knowing ahead of time that numerous things will compete for your attention, come up with several pre-programmed phrases/responses for protecting your time. Rehearse these often so that when they are most needed, they will be at the top of your mind.  "I'm so sorry, I actually can't stay late after work - I have a prior commitment." (No need to mention that commitment is to You!) Condition people to knowing the limits on your time through practice - they'll get it eventually, and so will you. 

BONUS: The truth is, this bonus is actually the most important item of all. Ready? Resolve before and above all else that when you get off track (and you will get off track), you will regroup, refocus, and try again. THIS, more than anything else, is the way to succeed. The ability to return to your path once you've strayed is, by far, the most powerful indicator of success. So, if you are the type to make resolutions, resolve to live this year tenaciously and just watch 2017 become the year in which you finally make all your other New Year's Resolutions come true!