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How to Make Your New Year's Resolutions Happen

January 3rd, 2022 · 5 min read

New Year means new resolutions! You may have begun 2022 with the intention to exercise more, quit smoking, lose weight, have a good work-life balance, travel to your dream destination, learn a new skill or apply for a new job. Do those New Year's resolutions sound familiar to you?

You start the year with a very good disposition, however, after a few weeks, you have not visited the gym, even once, or applied for any job. According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, only 46% of people who made New Year’s resolutions followed suit and only 4% of those who had a goal, but did not make a New Year's resolution, were successful at achieving it.

If you want to achieve your 2022 New Year’s resolutions, keep reading and follow this process:

1. Change starts in your head:

Getting ready for change takes time. You make a decision but you are at the zero stage of developing a new habit. It is said that a habit can be created in 21 days, so as you start thinking about the changes you want to achieve, make sure to:

  • Stay positive and in high spirits.

  • Try not to attempt big changes at once, it is easier to do it gradually.

  • Do not be disappointed if you go slower than you thought.

  • Be aware that there will be obstacles on your way!

2. Set goals that drive you to take action:

Make sure your goals are meaningful to you, you will be inspired by them and will drive you to work toward them. You may also take greater pride in goals that align with your values and interests, than you would in those that you feel you are obligated to complete. Imagine also what success looks like to you and what steps you can take to accomplish that.

3. Prioritize your resolutions:

Set up a hierarchy of your annual resolutions: Not only will this pyramid structure allow you to focus your time and energy on the essentials, it will also help to reduce the pressure of trying to alter many things at once.

  1. Make a list of your 25 most important resolutions.

  2. You now need to narrow down your list, you should focus on your top priorities while balancing how much attention you can honestly devote to a resolution. Look at your main 4-5 goals and ask yourself “Which ONE of the list would make all the rest easier or not necessary if I achieve it?”.

  3. Then, circle your most important goal and rank the other 3-4 annual resolutions by order of importance. Now you have 4-5 prioritized resolutions, so you know now that you are going to be working on the things that will have the biggest impact in your life.

4. Be specific:

Remember, annual resolutions are intended to focus attention and resources on what is most important, so that you can be successful in achieving your priorities. Fortunately, SMART goal setting framework can guide you towards setting up objectives that really make a difference to you. The SMART Goals acronym stands for:

  • Specific – Set your resolutions as clearly as possible.

  • Measurable - Quantify your resolutions.

  • Attainable - Choose a goal within the realm of possibility, but yet challenging.

  • Relevant - Keep it relevant to your priorities and goals.

  • Time-bound - Give yourself a time-frame in which to achieve a goal. A deadline will instill some urgency and provide a time when you can celebrate your success.

5. Break up resolutions into smaller goals:

It is very helpful to divide a big goal into smaller, more manageable accomplishments that are easier to achieve. You can break up each of your annual resolutions into monthly or weekly goals. Moreover, the following tips will make your resolutions more achievable:

  • Create a list of sub-tasks.

  • Prioritize and assign milestones to each task.

  • Decide how much time each task requires.

  • Allocate resources accordingly.

  • Focus on the next step, not on the big goal!

6. Write down your goals:

Writing down your resolutions for 2022 helps create a vision in your mind of how you want to be in the future. You can visually see the goal and understand the difference it will make in your life.

When you see something clearly, it creates change in how you act as you have clarity and direction. You are then more likely to be productive and creative if you can identify how the goal achievement will transform your life. Finally, written goals are a reminder of how far you have come and what you have achieved.

7. Share your resolutions with others:

Sharing your annual resolutions with others is an important success principle. You tend to be more committed to your goals after you share them with someone you respect. Sharing your goals with a higher-up does more than keep you accountable, it makes you more motivated, simply because you care what this person thinks of you.

8. Celebrate your success:

You must celebrate your wins when you achieve them! In fact, you should write down the reward you are going to get, when establishing your list of resolutions. And it is a good idea also to set celebrations when you reach a task or milestone, those wins will keep you motivated!

Go for it!

Author: Elena Parrilla

Founder & CEO of Sensum Consultants

Executive & Leadership Coach | Assessment Specialist | Business Consultant | Entrepreneur