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Assuming you’re like most, you haven’t followed through. Don’t despair!! It’s not too late to start over. There are still 10 ½ months left to go until the next new year.
Here are some tips to make your resolutions stick:
Set a short-term, achievable goal. Choose something realistic so you actually reach the goal and achieve a feeling of success. Make each successive goal a bit more challenging but still achievable and your successes will start to build, giving you the momentum to carry on through the rest of the year. Consider joining the OSI Rock Star site. It only takes a minute to sign up and you've already achieved your first goal!
Work with Your Personality. If you’re a perfectionist, make sure your goal can easily be achieved to your level of satisfaction. If you’re a morning person, schedule your more difficult tasks for that time of day when you're most active and alert. Set your goals to work with your personality traits and you’ll set yourself up for success.
Start Slowly. Now that you’ve decided to give your resolutions another chance, don’t jump in all gung-ho. When you’re full of enthusiasm, it’s hard to keep that level of momentum going. Start slowly and meet some of your goals. You want to build on your successes and build your enthusiasm as you find you ‘can do it.’ You don’t want to start in fast forward and end up stalled, or worse yet, in reverse.
Vary Your Activities. Change up the order of your daily activities. Day after day of the same routine becomes boring and any spark of enthusiasm you may have had will be gone. One day you could check in on the OSI Rock Star forums in the morning, the next day in the afternoon.
Reward Yourself. By choosing a short-term, achievable goal (#1) you will reach it. Pat yourself on the back and reward yourself for following through! Allowing yourself to acknowledge your success is a great feeling that will help you make a longer-term commitment to your goals. If you're an OSI Rock Star you can post your success on the 'I Rock Because' forum and lots of people will congratulate you on your progress! What a great way to reward yourself!
Make exercise part of your daily routine. Sitting in front of the computer all day makes you sluggish – physically and mentally. You don’t need to embark on an exercise program or join a gym. Again, start slowly. Take a few minutes each hour to stretch. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park further away from the building and walk more. It’s important to exercise your body as well as your brain.
Publicize your goals. Writing your goals down on paper or, even better, telling someone what you’re working towards will keep you motivated and accountable. If you let someone know you’re working toward a goal you’ll feel a sense of obligation to follow through with it. Why not post your goal on one of the OSI Rock Star forums? It's a great way to let others know about your goal and you'll get tons of support.
Make your resolution have a bigger impact. Your goal may be to make more money selling on eBay. Take it one step further and relate it to something truly motivating. Perhaps you want to make more money so you can take your family on a vacation.
Look for support. If your resolution is one that others might also have, seek those people out and work toward your goals together. You’ll have a team member and you can support each other. Special interest groups abound both online and off. Join one and you'll find instant support. Join the OSI Rock Star site for awesome group support whatever your goal.
Keep a record of your progress. If you began with a small, realistic goal then you probably achieved it and moved forward to another, relatively small but realistic goal. As you get a track record of success, be sure to document it in a journal, diary or chart. On those days when you have no motivation or the path seems too difficult, read what you’ve done and see how far you’ve come. It’s a great way to beat those ‘down’ days.
Two steps forward; one back. It’s not realistic to think you can work on your goals and resolutions every day. Allow yourself some slack. Just because you let a day or two go by doesn’t mean you can’t get back on track. Go back and read the progress notes you made and you’ll see that, even with some time off, you’re moving forward.
The 30 day challenge. Meeting your goals means changing the way you've done things in the past. It'll take some time before the changes become a natural part of you and your routine. It can take a month, or even longer, before you internalize your new ways and they become second nature to you.
Life is a process where you move along a path. Meeting your goals is also a process. The path to success is meeting one small goal at a time. If you choose success be sure you're one of the Online Success Institute's Rock Stars!
Now go ahead and make the most of the next 10 ½ months!! And Keep this list handy when you need a ‘pick-me-up.’
