Keep New Year's Resolutions?

     It’s no secret that most of us don’t keep our New Year’s Resolutions. If we bother to make them. Only about 19% of people who make resolutions keep them as long as two years according to John Norcross, psychology professor at University of Scranton, PA.

     That’s the bad news. The good news is that you are 10X time more likely to make a positive change in your life if you do make a New Year’s Resolution! Of those who do, 46% keep them at least six months.
     So what separates those who keep their good intentions from those who fail? Perhaps surprisingly, the answer is not will power, trying harder or being more disciplined. (Which doesn’t work for becoming a better Christian either!)
     Those who are successful at accomplishing a goal or changing a behavior pattern have at least three of these things in common. They:
     1. Make specific, concrete action plans to change their daily behavior, setting a time, place, date by which to accomplish goals.
     2. Celebrate bite-sized accomplishments. Professor Howard Hendricks challenged his students, “Make it a habit once a day to say ‘No!’ to something you want but do not need.”
     3. Get a little help from their friends. They keep on track by checking in daily or weekly with supportive people who care by calling them if they fail to check in.
     4. Announce their intentions. Publish goals on Facebook, email friends, put it in a blog. Up the ante by letting others in on resolutions. They give themselves some external relational motivation to follow through.
     5. Be honest about attachment to bad habits. What are they doing that sabotages their goal? Saving “stuff” that might come in handy some day? (Thrift vs. Clutter); “Researching” – gathering more and more information without acting on it? (Surfing vs. Studying); Putting it off until the “right time”? (Sensitivity or . . . )
     6. Expect setbacks. Mistakes and failure are part of developing a new habit. Those who continue to fail blame themselves and feel like a failure while those who succeed recognize failure as inevitable and quickly get back on track.

     Let’s make it personal: What would you like to accomplish in 2010?

     Here’s a shameless self-promotional plug: Get some help from an experienced Life Coach. Ted Hutchinson! Call me to schedule a free introductory coaching session. (425) 275 – 7371. You’ll love it. Even if you decide it’s not for you right now, you’ll be more motivated and you’ll tell someone else about me. That’s a win-win for both of us! And a blessed New Year!