I hate New Year’s Resolutions! Year after year of abject failure and quitting by the second month made me OCD…Old Cranky Dude! It seems that I am not the only one who has challenges with setting and keeping my goals.
Here are some interesting statistics from 2015:
45% who usually make New Year’s Resolutions
38% who absolutely never make New Year’s Resolutions
8% who are successful in achieving their Resolutions
People who make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t.
25% Quit within the first week
30% Quit within two weeks
40% Quit within one month
Ten years ago I radically changed how I set my goals, based on the list of reasons people fail, and since then my success rate has gone through the roof!
- Set Too Many: I used to sit down and write out at least 100 goals for the year each year. Guess how many of these I actually achieved? ZERO! This is the NUMBER ONE way to fail this year – set too many goals! Now I only set 1 or 2 goals and put all my focus on them.
- Set Too Hard: This was my favorite way to fail and is still one I struggle with the most. We love to set the bar so high and get caught up in the front end emotion. Unless you are Super-Human, this will always lead to you quitting. Start in a frenzy of excitement and zeal only to burn out within weeks. If you like being overwhelmed then set goals that are Too Hard in the beginning. Now I take baby steps with a new goal – mini almost laughable steps. This will build confidence and momentum.
- Set Too Vague: A One sentence goal is just the beginning. Now you have to sit down and write out specifics: Can you see it, smell it, feel it, & taste it? You cannot improve what you cannot measure!
What and how you decide to set your goals will dictate where you end the year. Let’s break the cycle of failure by changing the way you play the game.
Set One goal, make your action steps small and simple, and be specific on what you want!
Find Your Passion and You Will Find Your Life!