**Was it because you really want to improve something about yourself?
If so, it may be the way you’re wording your resolution that is sabotaging your success. For some reason we tend to write goals as absolutes rather than as processes. “I will exercise 3x a week.” “I will cut sugar from my diet.” “I will be debt free by …” “I will eat healthy meals every day.”
By writing goals like this, only perfect compliance is considered meeting the goal, anything less is failure. Overwhelming yourself with a new goal and expecting perfection right off the bat is a perfect way to subconsciously decide, "this isn't worth my effort."
Although some people are able to set amazingly strict New Year’s Resolutions and stick to them, most of us can’t. I, for one, am definitely in the second category. The first step in writing (or rewriting) your New Year’s Resolutions for 2012 in process form is to break down your resolution into a smaller goal that you try to accomplish for that day or a small goal for each day. Then you add to it.
· If your goal is to eat healthy, try just making sure breakfast is healthy and timely. Once you have that down, work on your snacks and so on. Write your goal as: “I will try to eat healthier breakfasts for a period of time and when I am doing well at that then I will…” Be sure not to write that you must be perfect. Just write that you will make a conscious effort to increase your success.
· If your goal is to get out of debt, spend a moment to see if there is an area where you are spending money which is unnecessary and could be put towards debt. One example is if you often grab a bite to eat when you're out. Try keeping snacks in your car to tide you over until you get home. It's actually surprising how this (and many other small habits) can add up. Write your goal as: “I will pay better attention to how I spend money and will look for ways to allocate that to my debt.”
I wrote a blog on this subject last year in March and as I stated then, studies have shown that people who consistently evaluate their lives and find small, simple ways to become closer to who they truly want to be are happier. The catch though is to be kind with yourself, set reasonable goals and to be consistent.
Good luck!