by Kenneth Ang

Created on: December 30, 2009

How to accomplish New Year's resolutions

Christmas is over and it's that time of the year again. Some dread the thought of it, some look forward to it, while others just love talking about it.

No, it's not time yet to take down your Christmas decorations. It's time to write your New Year's resolutions.

The idea of making resolutions for the new year is lauded. Everyone talks about it. The reality, however, is that most people who make resolutions do not achieve them.

Does this mean that making New Year's resolutions is an exercise in futility? I disagree. After all, it is always better to have something to aim for, to give us some kind of direction in our lives, than merely endure the shortcomings we find in our lives today.

What we do need though, is a properly thought through plan that will increase our chances of success. Sheer determination is simply not enough.

Here are some ways I have found through a lot of study and personal experience that I hope will give you the results you want.

1. You must set a goal that you want for YOURSELF.

I want to lose weight because, “my friends think I'm fat”, just won't cut it. List the goals you think should be on your list of resolutions. When, you've got them all down, review them and decide which ones are really important for YOU.

2. Be realistic

You've got to be realistic both in terms of the goal itself and the time-frame in which you expect to achieve it.

Setting a goal of losing 100 pounds in itself may not seem unrealistic, but expecting to do it within 2 months may set you up for disappointment. Perhaps setting a smaller weight loss goal and giving yourself more time to achieve it will increase your chances of success.

Having said that, remember that these are your goals and you are the only person who can decide what is attainable for you.

3.  Be clear and specific

Being specific gives you something real to aim for. “I want to earn $3,600 a month by June 30“, is much better than, “I want to make a lot of money next year”. It is more measurable and allows you to monitor your progress and make changes if necessary, to keep on track.

This does not mean that you should not make any resolution because you cannot be specific. I believe that if you are alright with setting such goals as, “I want to lose weight”, and can be happy with losing a couple of pounds, then go for it!

4. Prioritize and focus

Now that you've got a list of realistic goals you want to achieve, it's time

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