by Kenneth Ang

Created on: January 02, 2010

Is it worth making New Year's resolutions?

New Year's resolutions are nothing more than goals that we set at year's end. We look at what we want to improve in our lives and we resolve to make changes. Successful people do it throughout their lives, not just on a certain date.

Why then, does the question of whether it is worth making New Year's resolutions arise?

Mostly, it's because many people have been disappointed before. They have made resolutions and unfortunately did not achieve what they set out to do. When this happens often, it is understandable that many will question the need for more resolutions - and more disappointment.

However, chances are that they did not plan their resolution well. Resolutions are more than wishful thinking. We cannot decide that we want to lose 50 pounds or earn $100,000 more in the coming year and then sit back and wait for it to materialize.

All of us have issues in our lives that we want to change. When we set a goal and resolve to achieve it, we are halfway there. Failing to make decisions is one of the main reasons many do not make changes and remain in their unsatisfactory situations

There are several steps we have to take when making resolutions to increase our chances of succeeding. First, the resolution we choose must be important to us, not to someone else. We have to be specific about what we want. Setting realistic goals is the key to us achieving them. If we have more than one goal, then it's best to prioritize them, to allow us to focus on one at a time.

When we've got our list done, the next step is to work out a plan. Ideally, each goal should be broken down into small ones. Taking baby steps allows us to gain confidence as we achieve each one. Last but not least, we have to work our plan with persistence and belief. If we give ourselves a reasonable time to accomplish our goals, we are more likely succeed.

We must also not forget to reward ourselves for a job well done. These incentives help keep us focused when the going gets rough.

Here's another benefit of setting goals. Goals give us hope. They promise us a better future. Goals give us something to aim for. And when we achieve them, we have reason to rejoice. Our confidence is boosted and we develop an innate believe that we can succeed in what we set out to do.

I believe that every little step forward we take, is in itself a success and we should not view a less than perfect achievement of our goals as a failure. As long as we keep this in mind, "failure" will not feature in everything we do in life.

So, is it worth making New Year's resolutions? A resounding "Yes", if we want our present situation to improve. The choice is ours.

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