I received an e-mail this morning inviting me to join the Resolution Revolution. I’m all in. I have been writing about resolutions for a few years.
Resolve 2010
Accelerate 2011
Breakthrough 2012
Notice a pattern developing? The resolution theme this year is Impact 2013.
In doing a little resolution research it seems that most resolutions fail.
I know. I have been there.
I missed on my 2012 health/wellness resolution.
I believe two factors contributed to my miss:
- A poorly designed resolution.
- A poor system for execution against the objective.
I’ll be making adjustments to both of those flaws for Impact 2013, and I will happily share my five keys for making New Year’s resolutions become reality.
Be Specific: Eating healthy and exercising regularly is the #1 New Year’s resolution. Getting in shape is a great idea, but it doesn’t hold up so well as a resolution simply because it isn’t specific enough. If health and wellness are on your 2013 to do list be more specific by writing down exactly what change you want to accomplish and when. Start from a position of intelligence that includes critical information such as your percentage of body fat and BMI so you can measure progress toward a clearly defined target. Yes, you need a system of measurement. Good news is that there is an app for that.
Get Help: Going at it alone is tough for any major life change initiative. Personally, when it comes to health and wellness I know I need a support system to get results. Enter the workout partner. This was a big change I made mid-2012, and it has accelerated my results. Making the commitment to show up on time and having some built in competition are personal triggers that help me work harder. I have no problem exercising. My problem is getting up an hour early and getting to the gym. Having support (someone waiting for me) where I am my weakest is critical to my success. To accomplish something of significance you have to enlist support from the people in your life.
Time Management: Want to read more books? Schedule reading time on the calendar. Hate to miss a workout? Schedule every workout into the calendar. A change in output usually requires a shift in how we manage our time. This is often where breakdowns occur. My suggestion is to schedule the work required to execute on the resolution and treat it as protected time in your calendar. I traveled over 100,000 miles in 2012 and that was the warm up act for 2013. If I am going to hit the Impact 2013 targets for health & wellness I have to schedule time to make it happen, even when I am on the road.
Recognize Milestones: It is easier to throw in the towel when a big goal seems overwhelming and so far out of reach. That is why it helps to break big objectives down into a series of mini-milestones so you can actually get into the practice of celebrating progress. This offers some reinforcement that you are on the right track and can provide momentum toward meaningful change.
Stay Committed: Failure and setbacks don’t define our success nearly as much as our ability to recover. Don’t let adversity and setbacks deter you from staying committed. We all know life has a funny way of interrupting the plans we make. This is going to hold true in 2013. You will get off track and I would suggest to simply factor that into the plan and hit reset when it happens. No matter what comes our way we have the resolve to recover and get back on track.
Change is hard work. Changing habits and personal behavior is some of the hardest work we can do.
That is why it is so rewarding when we actually do accomplish what we set out to do!
Be Humble. Stay Hungry. Always Hustle. Wishing you a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!
Ryan Estis & Associates is a training and development organization helping companies, leaders, sellers and individual contributors embrace change and achieve breakthrough performance in the new economy. We offer keynotes, live classroom training and online learning that blends interaction, energy and actionable content designed to elevate performance. Contact us for programming inquiries and assistance determining the curriculum that could best support your learning and development objectives.
