Have you ever made a New Years Resolution?  Lots of people do.  Unfortunately, most of them are never accomplished and quickly forgotten.Some people have quit making resolutions because they failed so often.

So why should you bother?

My answer is, because YOU are worth it.  The people who have quit reflecting on their bad habits, mistakes and dreams have often given up the hope of bettering themselves or bettering the world around them.

I care for you too much to let you do that without at least having this conversation.  You can’t undo a mistake or avoid the consequences, but you can change a bad habit, learn not to make the same mistakes again or begin to accomplish a big dream.

You won’t accomplish your dreams or change the world overnight, but you can make some progress toward it every day, no matter how small.  

So, here are a few tips for how to turn important New Years Resolutions into successful improvements in your life.

1.  Don’t be discouraged if you aren't perfect from the start.  When you say that you’re going to do something or change something, especially if it is something you’ve never had the habit of doing before, don’t expect perfection.  Resolve something doable and don’t be discouraged if you don’t do it perfectly.  Pat yourself on the back for each success, forgive yourself for each slip, but stick with it. 

2. Take one bite at a time.   Do something small today, something small tomorrow, and the next day and the next and the next…It is amazing what you and I can do if we are persistent.  The problem, habit or dream you are tackling may be big, but you can make it manageable by dealing with it one day at a time.

3.  Out of sight; out of mind; out of gas. Resolutions are no good if you don’t keep the idea in front of you.  Develop a way of keeping your goal in front of you every day.  Put it on your fridge, write it on your hand, sent yourself a text – whatever it takes.  The point is that if you don’t keep your resolution in front of you, the pursuit of it will never become a habit.  Without habits, dreams never become realities. So find a way to remind yourself every day of where you have determined to go, but also the next step you have to take to get there.

4.  Make it simple, clear and compelling.   Your Resolution may be small or big, easy or challenging.  Both are fine, but the important thing is to make it simple.  I suggest you write it down and keep writing it until you get it into one clear statement that fires you up and is easy to remember.  Not good at writing?  Ask a friend or friends to help you.  A Resolution is a mission that you want to accomplish.  Make sure your mission is so strong and clear that it makes you believe it and in yourself.   This will help you stick with it on the hard days and through the tough times. 

5.  Two Times, Better than One. If you’re really serious about making (or breaking) a habit, or about achieving a special dream, you need to get someone to team up with you.  Someone who will help you break it down, keep it simple, stick with it, encourage you, challenge you, believe in you.  It can be a friend, a parent, a coach, a counselor, a pastor.  And more than one is even better.  The point is, people who are really serious about change, never go it alone. They find that key person or persons to help them.

6.  Change Goes Inside Out. A guy named Stephen Covey once wrote a book about habits. The idea behind the book was that most successful people get what they want—not by luck, not by who they know, not by where or to whom they were born, and not by being in the right place at the right time. They do it by developing a few key habits, and those habits, if maintained, all but guarantee a high degree of success.

Next Week: I want to stick with this idea for at least one more week. So here’s my question: Where do you want to go and what are the key habits that are going to get you there? Or what are the bad habits that may keep your from getting there?

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