There’s nothing like the beginning of a new year to help reenergize you and put you on a path of optimism and renewed focus. The promise of a fresh start is intoxicating and each year it inspires more than 40 percent of Americans to resolve to <insert your personal or professional goal here>.
Turns out while almost half of us won’t hesitate to pledge our earnest efforts toward turning over a new leaf, getting organized or eating better, only 8 percent of us actually succeed at our resolutions. If you think about it, it’s disheartening that 92 percent of us who start out with the best intentions will wind up failing – 25 percent after the first week. (Unless of course, you own a gym, in which case your business model thrives on us weak-willed individuals and I imagine you are doing exactly this right now.)
I say let’s make a resolution to achieve our resolutions this year. Blast Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” or your motivational song of choice and read on for our team’s tips to become a real “goal-getter” and join that elite 8 percent:
Write your goals down. I find committing my goals to paper keeps them top-of-mind, especially on days when I need an extra boost of motivation. It’s particularly rewarding to be able to go back and review those goals later on and reflect on how I accomplished them. – Beth, Account Manager
Break it down to baby steps. The overall goal may seem overwhelming or unattainable; however, if I can break it down into actionable, steps I usually find it is less overwhelming and provides mini-victories to keep me motivated/inspired along the way. – Colleen, Partner
Develop a plan and stick to it. The only times I’ve been successful in keeping to my New Year’s resolution is when I developed a detailed plan of actions I needed to take in order to achieve my objective. This includes building out full timelines for activities and holding myself accountable to complete the tasks on time. I’ll also often recruit my wife to help keep me accountable – I find that having a third-party around to keep tabs on my progress motivates me to achieve my objective…not to mention the fact that I don’t want to disappoint my wife! – Alec, Account Manager
Make the goal meaningful. While it’s easy for me to tell myself to eat healthier, I’m more likely to accomplish my goal when I consider its implications – e.g., longer life, feeling better, setting an example for my son, Finn, etc. – Molly, Account Manager
Failure is not a (mental) option. Right now I am training for another half-marathon and since I had a rocky experience with my first one, I am nervous that it could happen again. When I’m training, instead of letting myself worry about failing, I tell myself “I can do it.” I’m also practicing this at work, making sure not to let nerves affect my performance and accepting constructive criticism to help me grow in my career. Keeping my positivity and confidence high gives me a much better chance of achieving my goals. – AnnMarie, Assistant Account Executive
Put down the champagne to set realistic goals. My first piece of advice is to not make any resolutions on New Year’s Eve when you’ve been drinking. It’s best to write them down when you have a clear mind so you can make sure they’re realistic. Also, I think when people fixate on the outcome and don’t enjoy the process along the way, that’s when the goal becomes really overwhelming and they give up. – Jennifer, Partner
My final piece of advice is to make sure you’re passionate and excited about whatever your goal may be, because otherwise it’s not worth pursuing.
What resolutions have you made? Do you have any tips on how to set/accomplish goals?