New year resolutions that will never fail!

This sounds like a pretty wild claim but I never have trouble sticking to my New Year resolutions because I never make them! This sounds like a cop out but just think about it for a moment. Most resolutions are along the following lines:

•    I want to lose weight.
•    I want to get fit.
•    I want to give up smoking.

The big issue here is that these types of resolutions involve radical behaviour, or at least we believe they do so. On 1st January, we eat only lettuce leaves, throw away cigarette packets and start running marathons. This is just too hard. Maybe if our lives (or that of a loved one) depended on such a radical reform we might make it but it is too easy to just eat one cream cake, smoke a cigarette or have a rest day.

So what should we all do? The answer in most cases is to have a long term goal with several well identified milestones along the way. So if you really do want to run a marathon your goals might involve running a short distance now but working up to say 1 mile, 5 miles, 10 miles etc or perhaps mixing walking and running and trying to extend the periods of running. The second important concept is time. The words ‘New Year’ imply a change on 1st January which is linked to the early part of the year. What about not eating cream cakes in July or not smoking in September? A small change that lasts is worth more than a huge but failed effort.

Our goals should be relevant to our lives from this point on. So I might say the following to myself:

•    I want to get fitter.
•    I want to reduce my blood pressure to normal.
•    I want to be able to run a mile by Easter and a half marathon by Christmas…and so on.

Note that all of these are measurable and I cannot easily cheat without bribing a doctor or tampering with my bathroom scales. I can further enlist the help of others by publicising my goals (sticking them to the fridge, telling friends or colleagues).

Apply one or two of these ideas to your personal or working life and you will notice a difference. Try it and see.

–

Derek’s work encompasses consultancy, idea generation, creativity workshops and facilitating continuous innovation. For more information visit his website http://www.Creative4Business.co.uk or contact him at Derek@Creative4Business.co.uk