Team Alpha 375

"To achieve happiness, we should make certain that we
are never without an important goal."
~Earl Nightingale

7 Strategies to Make New Year's Resolutions STICK
By Chris Mohr, PhD, RD, CSSD

Why do 88% of people who set New Year's Resolutions fail at fulfilling them?

It's because they're usually made over a drink on December 31st, as the ball drops, and they never fully commit.

To be honest, I'm not a fan of New Year's Resolutions -- I think they're an excuse for not working on your goals NOW. Regardless, it's not a battle I'll ever win, so instead of fighting the millions who set resolutions each year, I'll offer 7 strategies to help you achieve them.

It's probably not a surprise to hear the #1 Resolution, year after year, is to lose weight. Yet year after year, the country keeps getting more and more overweight. The problem is that people don't take action. Most people prefer to stay the same (or get worse), yet complain about where they are, how hard it is, how their metabolism is slow, how it's not fair, their kids make it impossible and how they're "different" than everyone else.

So today we're going to change that for you by providing 7 tips to help you go from goal setting to goal achieving and make your New Year's Resolutions actually become a reality!!! And the best part about it -- following these 7 tips can change your life. Forever.

1. Write in a journal. Have you ever done this? Writing down your resolutions is far more powerful than just thinking about them. It focuses your thoughts and creates awareness. The more aware you are, the more successful you'll be.

2. Write your goals in the positive tense with the certainty you'll achieve them. Instead of "I want to lose weight," write "I will weigh xx lbs on February 2nd, 2011 at 6 AM (or whatever date and time you choose). This helps set your mind -- you've set a goal, you've given it a deadline, and the only way to achieve it is to take massive action having no doubt you'll succeed.

3. Write your process steps. What's this? It's the steps that it will take to achieve a specific goal. Most people set endpoint goals such as, "I will weigh xxx lbs." Instead, figure out what you will have to do to achieve the specific goal and map those out. "I will start every meal with veggies, "I'll add more intensity to my workouts," etc. THESE are the types of process goals that will determine success.

4. Find an accountability partner. This is a person who will get you to the gym when you feel like sleeping on the couch. The person who will support your new, healthy process goals instead of being the "devil" on your shoulder who tries to sabotage your success. It can be a friend, spouse, co worker, sister. Whoever is supportive of what you're trying to achieve and will be there to support you regardless of what else is happening in your life.

5. Surround yourself with positive achievers. You know those negative Nelly's -- the types of people who seem to always look for the negative in any situation and find it like a heat seeking missile -- they'll never allow you to succeed as they'll shoot down your every positive moment. Instead, surround yourself with people who celebrate your successes and are sincerely proud of you every step of the way.

6. Rewrite your goals, daily. You want to be constantly reminded of what you're trying to achieve. If you write them once and never look at them again, you'll be hard-pressed to continue working on them. When you write them daily, you'll be accountable ... even if for no one else but yourself ... because you'll see exactly what it is you're working on.

7. Keep a gratitude journal. Winston Churchill said it best when he said "The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty." Be thankful for every opportunity and even every difficulty. When we focus on the positives, no matter how big or small, we feel good. And when we feel good, we act better. And when we act better, we carry our chins high and walk with confidence, feeling on top of the world like we can achieve ANYTHING we set our minds to. Success requires daily efforts.

There you have it -- 7 simple strategies to be part of the 12% who set and achieve their Resolutions vs. the 88% who don't. A simple mindset shift will take you from being a goal setter to a goal achiever.