Realizing Your Resolutions

For some people, January 1 is also a good time to set new professional goals as well. Whether it's pledging to update technology to bring the office into the 21st century, or committing to improve communication between departments, there's something about hanging a new calendar on the wall that motivates us and renews our optimism for the coming year.

Hopefully you have already spent time contemplating your resolutions for 2013. Setting goals for the new year is not something to be taken lightly but too often we don’t spend enough time thinking about it. With this in mind, it's no surprise researcher Richard Wiseman found 88 per cent of those who start out with New Year's resolutions fail in the end. It's a depressing figure that may make some of us resolve to stick to our future resolutions.

Walt Disney said, "If you can dream it, you can do it." A very inspirational quote, no doubt, that sounds great and warms our hearts. However, having a dream in itself is not enough – making it a reality requires some strategic thought and planning. To increase the chances of reaching your goals, we've broken down a few simple steps to pave the path to success, whether it is at home or the office.

1. One is enough. Writing a lengthy list of resolutions may initially make you feel you're motivated to make big changes in your life. But taking on too much can have the opposite effect by overwhelming your brain with too many objectives, resulting in a feeling of hopelessness. Spend some time brainstorming and then narrow your focus to the most important goal. Quality definitely outweighs quantity in this situation.

2. Be realistic. Goal setting is a process and ensuring your objectives are realistic is important. An ambiguous goal is more difficult to reach than one that is concrete, so take the time to get specific and iron out a practical implementation plan. Examine if you have time to work toward your target – if it doesn't seem attainable, re-examine your objective. Setting a smaller goal over a reasonable timeline is more advantageous than having lofty ambitions that are near impossible to achieve.

3. Make it a habit. Many people focus on kicking bad habits every January. Instead think about your resolutions as a way to introduce good habits into your life. If you've pledged to increase your productivity this year, consider habits you can adopt to make it happen. For example, if you spend three hours wading through an overwhelming number of emails each day, establish a filing and forwarding system to prioritize communication. Instead of setting a goal to lose weight, commit to a daily exercise schedule and a healthy eating plan. Instinctual change is easier to adopt than the abstract. To better understand how habits impact our lives, check out The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg.

4. Don't do it alone. Bringing others into the fold will help hold you accountable and keep you committed to your long-term vision. Your friends, family and co-workers all have an important role to play and may even be able to assist you in reaching your goal more quickly and calling you out if you drop the ball. If you have a business-focused resolution, bring together your team to work toward the goal: There really is power in numbers. For more individually focused goals, there are a plethora of apps to help you record your progress in just about any area you could think of, from logging how many calories you've consumed in an afternoon to how much money you've spent that month. The downside? They may not be of much help if your ultimate goal is to unplug from your electronic devices.

5. Revisit your resolutions. There are very few things in our lives that are truly static and your New Year's resolution isn't one of them. If you are finding yourself slipping back into your old ways, or not making much progress in your intended direction, don’t be afraid to go back to the drawing board. Re-evaluate your situation, re-think your strategy and re-arrange your plan if necessary, but don’t give up.

What happens in the end if you miss your mark? For some people, failing to reach a goal can be emotionally devastating. Others can turn that failure into something much more positive. Remember some of the most successful people, from Oprah to Steve Jobs, have failed miserably at one point in their lives. Research shows those who maintain a sense of humour and don’t take themselves too seriously rebound best. Accepting things outside your control can also help you move on to bigger and brighter things.

So sit down, sharpen your pencil and think about your one big move for 2013 while you've still got nearly 12 months to make it happen.

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