Suggestions listed for successful resolutions
Often the best-laid plans go awry, and the same could be said about New Year’s resolutions. Every January, millions of people across the country make resolutions, resolving to change some aspect of their lives. Most resolutions are broken, forgotten within weeks, months at best.
Some people do succeed. They take action and accomplish their goal: join a gym and lose 10 pounds, buy nicotine patches and quit smoking, cut up credit cards and start climbing their way out of debt.
The secret to their success? They made a plan and stuck with it, chipping away at their goal piece by piece.
Greg Helmstetter, chief executive officer of the Web site myGoals.com, designed to help people set and manage personal and professional goals, said it’s easier for people to keep their New Year’s resolutions if they create a plan – immediately.
Helmstetter said people should sit down and come up with a plan as soon as they make a resolution, noting that the plan should have defined steps that can be put into action. A good plan, according to Helmstetter, will tell a person what he or she needs to do next, and continue doing, to complete his or her goal.
Those who are serious about reaching their goals should put their resolutions and plans in writing, he said. Once everything is in writing, people must continue to think about their goals on a daily basis and remain flexible when circumstances outside of their influence cause a change in plans, Helmstetter said.
“Writing out a plan makes people invest in their own goals,” he said. “And the key is to never give up.”
Helmstetter said people must remember “nothing big gets accomplished in one day” and that reaching goals requires a year-round effort.
“It’s a lot of itty-bitty steps,” he said.
Helmstetter said a resolution isn’t accomplished the day it’s stated, nor is it accomplished the day the person reaches the goal.
A resolution is, he said, accomplished in many small increments along the way.
Helmstetter advises that people should have more than one goal at any given time, one easier and one that’s more challenging.
A lofty goal can oftentimes be broken down into several less intimidating goals, he said.
“A goal should never be so intimidating that the person doesn’t even try,” Helmstetter said. “It’s important that people make goals and are always working on them, striving to improve.”
Helmstetter said the majority of New Year’s resolutions always focus on health and fitness.
However, a noticeable amount of people will instead focus on personal growth in the upcoming year, he said, noting that more people seem to be more interested in improving their state of mind than loosing weight.
Helmstetter explained myGoals.com takes a random sample of goals registered users have set at the Web site to predict what type of resolutions will be made in 2007.
This New Year’s holiday, 27 percent of all resolutions are expected to relate to health and fitness, down 4 percent from 2006, according to the data.
Resolutions focusing on personal growth and interests are up 5 percent, with 15 percent of people predicted to make such goals in 2007, myGoals.com reports.
“Five percent is a noticeable change,” he said, noting that the personal growth category comprises a wide range of goals, including improving one’s mental outlook, appearance, social skills, spirituality and spending time doing things such as reading, writing and volunteering.
The number of people interested in personal finance will hold steady at 15 percent, followed by those with career-related resolutions at 12 percent and educational/training-related resolutions at 9 percent.
Up 2 and 3 percent, respectively, are those who will make resolutions in regard to home improvement and recreation and leisure.
“In 2007, people are going to spend a lot of time working on improving their home and themselves,” Helmstetter said. “People are a little less concerned about job security, their waistlines or buying a house. Instead, they’re seeking ways to make themselves feel fulfilled and happy, which is good news. When personal growth becomes a priority, it means that people are confident that their lower-level, basic priorities are under control.”
Nonetheless, Helmstetter said the majority of people still are concerned about weight loss, work-related issues and finances, and he predicts it will always be that way.
The three most popular resolutions in 2007, according to myGoals.com, are to lose weight, start a business and pay off debt.
“No resolution, no goal, can be accomplished without a plan,” Helmstetter said. “Planning is key.”