<p>The countdown to the end of one year and the beginning of another has begun in earnest.</p> <p>So has the powerful urge to create positive, lasting change in our life and in our business.&nbsp; This, reflected in the resolutions people make all over the world at this time, is embodied in the promise and hope of a New Year.<br /><br />The Promise and the Hope quickly fade, however, when many find that they are quickly back to their old, less-than-productive habits even before the proverbial ink is dry on their New Year's Resolutions.<br /><br />Even more frustrating is when the failed resolution is the very same failed resolution from last year.&nbsp; And the year before that.&nbsp; And the year before that.</p> <p>You may recall the oft-quoted definition of insanity:&nbsp; doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.&nbsp; Phil Connors, played by actor Bill Murray in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Groundhog-Day-Carol-Bivins/dp/080017948X?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;s=dvd&amp;amp;qid=1196892405&amp;amp;sr=8-2">Groundhog Day</a>, must have felt like he was going absolutely mad when he finds himself living the same day over and over and over again.<br /><br />Can you relate?<br /><br />If you can, you're certainly not alone, and it most certainly hasn't been your fault.</p> <p>"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."&nbsp; But, how is it possible to avoid potential obstacles that get in the way of success if you don't know what they are in the first place?<br /><br />There are at least 7 core reasons goals and New Year's Resolutions typically do not work.&nbsp; Rather than resolving not to make resolutions or to set goals at all for fear of failing yet again, the first step to successfully navigating around obstacles is awareness of their existence.</p> <ol> <li>The first challenge that gets in the way of goal achievement is that <strong>the resolution or goal is not specific enough</strong>.&nbsp; You've heard it before, but have you applied it to your own resolutions?<br /><br />Suppose your goal is to make more money.&nbsp; Can you imagine how frustrating it would be to find a penny or two on the ground when what you really desired was to generate an additional $5,000 in client income per month?<br /><br />The example may sound simplistic, but the message is a powerful one.&nbsp; Very specific goals and resolutions create very specific results.&nbsp; Specificity drives the engine and induces the focus needed to accomplish what it is you wish to change.</li> <li>It could be <strong>your goal is set too high</strong> or is otherwise unreasonable.<br /><br />I'd like to offer a caveat:&nbsp; No one has created anything great by setting "reasonable" or "realistic" goals, at least as the terms are typically understood.&nbsp; What does happen, though, is that some people tend to set themselves up for failure.<br /><br />For example, someone may wish to earn a million dollars in their business next year, but they are currently making only $45,000.<br /><br />It's not that the goal is impossible.&nbsp;&nbsp; It's just completely unbelievable to the Ego; it gives it too much ammunition to keep you stuck where you are (or worse).<br /><br />It's the same thing that creates self-sabotage in people trying to lose weight, start a business, stop smoking, develop a more intimate relationship with their mate or partner, or whatever the goal may be.</li> <li>On the other side of the spectrum, the resolution may manifest as no challenge at all.&nbsp; Perhaps <strong>you've set the goal too low</strong>.<br /><br />A goal that doesn't challenge or stretch you in some way is little better than not creating one at all.&nbsp; How would you feel about failing to achieve something that you absolutely knew should have been super-easy for you?<br /><br />It's not very good for the self-esteem.<br /><br />Change and growth only occurs when there is pressure to do so.&nbsp; As stagnant water births and spreads disease, so will impotent goals stop you in your tracks.</li> <li><strong>Expecting perfection rather than progress</strong> is a big New Year's Resolutions Killer.&nbsp; Disillusioned by a setback or a relapse, many give up too soon.<br /><br />There's a great story out there (It's VERY paraphrased, but I think you'll get the point!) about a man who spent many years digging in search of the fabled gold on his property.&nbsp; Finally in frustration he decides to sell the property for a ridiculously low price, say $500.<br /><br />The new owner, shovel in hand, digs up just a couple of shovelfuls of Earth to find riches beyond his wildest imaginings.<br /><br />Missteps and setbacks are par for the course.&nbsp; Remember that your Pot of Gold is just two shovelfuls away.</li> <li>One reason goals (and specifically New Year's Resolutions) typically do not work is the makers of them <strong>do not expect to keep them</strong>.<br /><br />Expectation is a powerful thing, so powerful that we may not realize that year after year, we are simply participating in an empty ritual that devoid of any real intention of honoring what we've resolved to do or be.<br /><br />Check yourself:&nbsp; Why are you making the resolution in the first place?&nbsp; Do you really expect to keep it?</li> <li>A powerful reason that is often a big pill to swallow is the assertion that people fail to keep self-promises because <strong>they don't really want to change anyway</strong>.<br /><br />If this is your challenge, it may be very hard to see.&nbsp; This is because even though not wanting to change may be the clear-cut, bottom-line answer, what's underneath that can be much more complex.<br /><br />It may simply not be the right goal for you.&nbsp; In other words, you do not have sufficient compelling reasons for accomplishing the goal; it just isn't that important to you.<br /><br />Perhaps you are doing it for someone else, like quitting smoking or drinking in order to save an unhealthy relationship.&nbsp; Unfortunately such motivation rarely leads to lasting change and nearly always leads to cancerous resentment.<br /><br /> Or, it could be the resolution or goal is "a should."&nbsp; Whenever you find yourself telling yourself you should or shouldn't do or be a thing, it's most definitely not the goal for you, at least not at this time.</li> <li>Perhaps the granddaddy of all reasons why goals and New Year's Resolutions typically fail is <strong>lack of a solid and dependable support system</strong>.<br /><br />What better way to exert a bit of positive pressure than to enlist the assistance of a friend, coach, Mastermind Group, or the like to celebrate your progress with you at every turn and to give you a swift kick in the bum when you need it.</li> </ol> <p>Do you see yourself in any of these areas of potential pitfall in the coming year?<br /><br />If so, <strong>congratulations</strong>!&nbsp; Sometimes knowledge of the obstacle is itself curative, enabling you to finally turn the corner from dishonoring your self-promises to embracing the powerful, positive change you seek.</p> 2008-12-30T23:00:38Z 2009-01-01T18:04:11Z -13.2914 396 2651 true 17 8394 tshombes-top-7-reasons-goals-and-new-years-resolutions-typically-do-not-work 7 2009-01-01T18:04:06Z 2009-01-01T18:04:06Z

Frustrated with repeated failed attempts at achieving your goals and New Year's Resolutions? Perhaps you've just been unaware of the Top 7 Reasons Goals and New Year's Resolutions Typically Do Not Work.

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