4 Tips for Making Resolutions That Matter

Making a resolution is one thing, keeping it another completely. 

In this article, I want to share four tips to help you reach your goals and to reward yourself for a job well done.

Recently, we've all hung up the new calendar and it's a great excuse to make personal and business resolutions for the coming year. 

It is also a way to bring about certain frustration if the goals that you set for yourself are unreachable, unattainable or just something you have no interest in doing. 

Making resolutions can be done at any time of the year, but if you have been thinking about some new ones for the year ahead, here are four tips to help you not only make resolutions but to keep them.

I Resolve To…

You have made your resolutions. Now, step back and take a look at each one. Are these resolutions you wanted to make or resolutions others have told you to make? 

Make certain that each resolution is something you definitely want to keep, not a half-hearted attempt at reaching a goal that you really aren't interested in reaching. 

If your resolution needs to be modified, do it at once.

My Goals Are…

Are your resolutions reasonable or are they reaching well beyond what can normally be expected? 

Let's say your goal is to gain 70 new clients in the coming year.  While the resolution is admirable, do you have the capacity to increase by that number? Can you onboard that number? Will you be able to service them to your current standards? Is the 70 new clients goal too much, too soon? 

Would it be better for you to stretch your target beyond one calendar year, or reduce the number to something you can achieve? Consider your health, business circumstances, cashflow and family life when you are evaluating your goals. 

I Have Fallen and I Cannot Get Up!

Do you quit at the first sign of failure? If you lose a client or two, do you consider your resolution for new clients to be over? 

If so, why? Simply start again and continue. The road to any goal is paved with pitfalls and you are bound to backslide from time to time. 

Best advice: Find an accountability partner who knows and understands your resolution and can encourage you to keep it.  The Facebook group, or if you're a gold member the accountability sessions, are a great place to do this.

Reward Yourself.

At the end of the year, reward yourself based on how well you kept your resolution. 

If you hit your new client goals, consider that new laptop as a reward for good behaviour. 

If you miss your goals, keep the new laptop idea open for when you do meet your goals. 

In other words, some resolutions are ongoing and shouldn't be restricted by a 365-day calendar.

Remember this: resolutions are for your benefit, not your detriment. Your attitude toward a particular resolution will help you determine whether you should make that particular resolution or not. 

Any resolution you make which doesn't have your enthusiastic backing will certainly become a hindrance come February or March and forgotten altogether by April. 

Make resolutions that matter and be better for it!