2018 New Year’s Resolutions and Goal Setting: A House With Four Rooms

Writing resolutions isn’t new; it is believed that the practice began with the ancient Babylonians when they incorporated resolutions into their plans more than 4000 years ago with the hopes of earning favor with the gods. People from around the world continue to formulate and visualize goals, not only for the New Year, but at other times as well; however, the new year is a good time to reflect on the past year and look ahead to desires for the new year.

It doesn’t take a lot of research to find statistics about the success and failure rates of New Year’s Resolutions, but for many, they are a tradition, so gym memberships go up, exercise equipment sales increase, and diet programs are started. Not all resolutions are about diet and nutrition, but most are about some type of self-improvement that will have a positive influence on life in general, and specific financial, weight, and relationship goals continue to be written by the 41% of Americans making resolutions. The success rate of Americans that continue their resolutions after 6 months isn’t very encouraging (about 8%), but there are some great successes when lifestyle changes are made.

I have written out my resolutions every year for more years than I can remember. Even my own personal resolutions have met with failure at times, but I continue to write New Year’s Resolutions and set goals for myself every year.  I believe that writing goals down and reviewing the list periodically is an important element in achieving them. Even though some of my goals are broad and show up every year, like living a year filled with adventure, good health, and gratitude, it is my more specific goals that tend to lead me to achieving these broader goals. For example, my life is filled with adventure because I plan and complete excursions that are out of my ordinary daily experiences; each year I plan different trips, such as hiking and camping trips, retreats, and vacations. To work toward my goal of having good health, I commit to taking 10,000 steps per day and use my smartwatch to calculate my steps and distance. Again, my SMART goal of walking 10,000 steps each day works toward my broader goal of living a year with good health. To live my year in gratitude, I acknowledge my blessings and write in my journal. All of these examples are just some of the ways of going into my four rooms each day. I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t spend some time thinking about these goals because they are important to me, and as the above Goethe quote states, “We must do” because “knowing” and “wishing” are “not enough” to achieve our goals.

Research shows that writing SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time- bound) are an effective and more realistic way to plan for future achievements. SMART goals are not just for the business community, but can be applied to your personal life because you create clear, attainable, and meaningful goals that are fueled by your passion and desire for results. They provide a foundation and with planning, one can progress toward personal accomplishments.

To quit smoking, I made SMART goals for myself. I signed up for a smoking cessation class, marked my calendar, used the recommended strategies, and had my last cigarette on September 11, 1991. I have successfully been a nonsmoker since. When I wanted to make better financial decisions, I again wrote SMART goals. I used my planner and several strategies, including going on a spending freeze, to achieve my goals. My goals and aspirations are similar to those of many others, and I know if I can be successful, anyone can be successful.

Some of the strategies I use for making resolutions are to write my goals down, but writing them down isn’t enough to achieve them. I review and evaluate my progress, and sometimes I have to adjust my goals. I also make a vision board to provide myself with a visual of all that I want to have and accomplish. Another strategy I use is to measure activity, not just results; for example, I monitor how much water I drink daily, the hours of sleep I get, and the number of steps I take. For my financial goals, I track what I spend my money on and set up automatic savings and bill payments to avoid overspending. It is amazing how little steps add up and move toward successfully achieving one’s goals, and when it comes to achieving our goals and dreams, we experience satisfaction, feel self-confidence, and become excited to discover, develop, and do some more.

Do you make resolutions and goals? How successful have you been in keeping them? What strategies do you employ to help you achieve your resolutions and goals?

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Here’s to abundant blessings in 2018!

Lisa