Make Your Resolutions Last

by Brandon Jubar

It happens every year. We all stand around with drinks in hand, after watching the ball drop in Times Square, and start talking about all the things we're going to change in the coming year. Lose weight? You know it. Exercise every day? Of course. Eat right? You bet. Get organized? Absolutely. Stop procrastinating? At some point. Read the Bible? Well... that's an interesting idea.

By the time the party is over, the excitement of getting a fresh start in the New Year has worn off and we're left trying to figure out how we'll really keep all of these resolutions. Assuming that this year turns out like all the rest, most of us will have given up by mid-February, and all but the most perseverant will have packed it in by April.

Fortunately, we can learn lessons from history. This year's resolutions do not have to end up like those from years past. With a little thought and planning, there are 4 steps you can take to exponentially increase your chances of success. You simply need to set smaller goals, don't tackle them all at once, forget about perfection, and share your goals with others, yourself, and God.

Step 1: Set smaller, more realistic goals.

I almost titled this step "Eat the elephant one bite at a time", but given the number of eating-related resolutions, that didn't seem appropriate. However, the concept is still the same. When you're trying to change habits and behaviors that you've developed over years (or decades), it's not realistic to think you can do it all overnight. You need to make resolutions that are specific, measurable, and (most importantly) that you truly believe you can keep!

For example, if you haven't used that gym membership in months, don't set a goal of exercising for 2 hours every day. Instead, start by scheduling shorter workouts 2 or 3 days a week, with 30 minutes of light activity on non-workout days. If your resolution involves getting more organized, focus on a specific room (like the kitchen or the garage) or set of activities (studying or doing a hobby). This gives you a place to begin and a higher probability of success, which provides momentum to do even more.

Step 2: Don't tackle too many goals at once.

You can't eat an elephant all at once. Likewise, you won't be successful if you take bites out of too many elephants all at once! Even small goals can become unrealistic if you tackle them all at the same time. There is nothing wrong with wanting to improve yourself in multiple ways, but you will probably be better off working on one major area at a time.

For example, if you want to increase your faith life, improve your health, and get better organized at work and at home, setting even small goals in all of these areas will most likely become overwhelming. When that happens, you may give up on all of them. Instead, start with the most important thing first. Perhaps you'll focus on health and fitness first because you have health-related problems. Then, after you've successfully completed several smaller health goals, you may be ready to incorporate some spiritual goals (praying for 10 minutes every day or attending a Bible study group). In fact, once you've improved in other areas, you may find that you're better organized than before!

Step 3: Don't focus on perfection. "Good enough" usually is!

How many resolutions have been abandoned because of a bad week? Or even a rough couple of days? You need to understand that adding "perfection" makes almost any goal unrealistic (even a small goal). When it comes to most resolutions, you just need to stay on track and cut yourself some slack when you need to adjust course a little bit.

For example, if you've had a busy week and only made it to the gym once instead of three times, don't get down on yourself; get back on schedule the following week and don't look back! If you had been praying for 10 minutes before bedtime but missed a few days because you were just too exhausted, don't fret about it; either get back into the routine, or consider praying at a different time of the day. Regardless, it's not a failure -- it's an adjustment, and that's good enough.

Step 4: Share, reflect, and pray about your resolutions.

Most people will have difficulty achieving goals if they keep the goals to themselves. So the final step in making your resolutions last is to share them -- with others, with yourself, and with God. Sharing your goals with others is something that countless self-help gurus and professionals recommend, but you may have been surprised by the rest of that statement. Share your goals with yourself and with God? You and God already know your goals, right? Yes but, unfortunately, that's not enough.

We share with other people to add accountability to our goals. This helps most of us because it's bad enough to let ourselves down; we certainly don't want to let down our family and friends. Other people should also be a source of support during those times when we're struggling to stay on course. We "share" with ourselves by reflecting on our goals on a regular basis. This helps us to keep a clear focus on the results we desire, but also ensures that the means we're using to achieve those results are still appropriate. We "share" with God by praying about our goals, whether we're asking God for help, thanking God for a success, or simply praising God. This helps us to keep things in perspective and to remember that the best reasons for accomplishing something are not selfish, but selfless.

The Missing Step

Unfortunately, most of the people who read this article will miss the most important step of all. It's not one of the steps explicitly described above, for it's so obvious that it's simply implied. Can you guess the missing step? The missing step is to actually take the four steps just described. Most people won't do that. Most people will read this article, agree with the plan I've described, and then promptly move on to other things.

Don't be one of those people. Choose a New Year's Resolution that is truly worthwhile, and then take the necessary steps to be successful! God has given us a multitude of blessings, including the gift of these "temples" that we spend our lives in, so it's only right that we do our part to make things even better. So take the missing step, and really follow these four steps to make your resolutions last.

Life Applications:

What is your number one New Year's Resolution?
What is a Resolution you did not stick with in the past?
Why didn't you stick with it? Is there anything you can learn from that experience?

Copyright 2009 by Brandon Jubar
All rights reserved.