Personally, I have never been big on New Year's Resolutions. To me, if something is that important, then I would be doing it already in the first place (hopefully). However, this year I plan on trying to keep one, and thought I would do some research on how to give myself the best chance at being successful and share some of those tips with you.
- Your resolution has to be something you want to do, not just something youshould do. Once you know what goal you want to achieve, you have to find a way to enjoy reaching the goal, or else you never will. If my goal is to lose 10 pounds, and I say I am going to do so by training for a half-marathon, but I hate running, I'm not very likely to reach my weight loss goal. I need to find an exercise program I actually enjoy to help me reach my goal.
- Make two resolutions instead of just one. According to John Norcross, a psychologist at University of Scranton, it is called "co-action. He says, "we find that if two goals are related, they can result in synchronicity." If your goal is to get a better handle on your finances, make a second goal of saving for a big year-end vacation, and then budget for the trip. Budgeting for the trip can help you achieve the original goal of getting your personal finances in order.
- Share your goal(s) with others. Having family or close friends, people you can count on to help support you, is key. Even better if they share in the goal along with you. Take the example I used above of getting a better handle on personal finances. If you and your spouse are committed to the goal, and the reward of the big year-end trip is something you will both share in, you have a higher likelihood of reaching your goal than going at it alone.
With 2018 in the proverbial rearview mirror, and 2019 ahead of us, I hope that you find a goal to aspire to this year that will help you find further meaning, purpose and value in your life, so that you can better enrich the lives of those around you. We are blessed to have you as clients and look forward to serving you in 2019 and for many years to come as we all "Move Life Forward".
Happy New Year!