A Goal Without A Plan Is Just A Wish
BOSTON (CBS) - Well it's that time of year when we want to undo or redo whatever we did last year. Start fresh. Wipe the slate clean. Whatever it is you have been saying to yourself since last Monday.
According to the Farmer's Almanac, 88% of adults make resolutions. Some announce them loudly for all to hear in hopes that will help them and others go quietly about the task. But only about 20% succeed! Mostly we set unrealistic goals for ourselves and we don't put together a plan to help us accomplish those goals.
LA Fitness surveyed 2,000 people asking about their goals for 2013. The number one goal they found: reading more books. Next, the perennial choices having to do with money, losing weight and getting fit.
Spending less time on Facebook now made the list, while lower down was eating less chocolate. Why would you want to eat less chocolate?
I Googled " Most Popular New Year's Resolutions" and I was surprised by how much of this year's list looked like last year's list. I have compiled a list of the most popular resolutions and resources.
- Get Fit
- Lose Weight
- Manage Debt
- Save Money
- Get a Better Education
- Get a Better Job
- Manage Stress
- Quit Smoking
- Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
- Travel
- Volunteer to Help Others
- Drink Less Alcohol
- Learn to Whistle
We all want to be Healthy, Wealthy and Wise. So we are going to work on those things this week.
To achieve your goals you need to prioritize. Write it down. Then take your list and put together a plan and a timeline. When do you want to accomplish those resolutions? In addition, you will need to find resources to help. Think about using smaller goals to achieve bigger goals. You want to lose 25 pounds. Start with a goal of five pounds. Then another five and so on.
Think about enlisting the help of a friend, your family, an organization like Weight Watchers or AA. You need someone to be accountable to. And someone who will share in your small victories. You will do better if you tell people your resolutions and why they are important to you. You want to lose weight to lower your blood pressure; you want to stop drinking to keep your job; you want to save money to take a vacation.
I think the key to being successful is to be realistic. You will not be able to lose 25 pounds by Valentine's Day. You are not a contestant on the TV show The Biggest Loser. But 3 to 5 pounds is realistic. Nor can you be out debt in a month. But in a year or 18 months it is achievable.
