Many people will now be turning to thoughts of a new year. Traditionally it is a time for review and an opportunity to change old behaviours and habits. Very often people will stop smoking or go on a diet, yet almost before the decorations are down we find ourselves back to the old habits. Yet if we think through our goals perhaps we can increase our chances of success.
Part of the reason that people fail in their New Year’s resolutions is in the way they are setup. Often they will ne thought of at the last minute. Perhaps no real thought is given to the likelihood of success. Perhaps worse resolutions are taken on with and expectation of failure. Yet, with a little care and attention towards setting goals and resolutions we begin to see how we can increase our chances of success.
You can use the CRASH plan
(C)ommunity
(R)eview
(A)rrival
(S)et back
(H)onesty
Community
What is going to support you in your goal or new behaviour. Perhaps it is the thought of you as a non-smoker. Perhaps it is someone you can talk to when you have doubts or are going to relapse. Identifying your supports helps you stay on track.
Review
Any goal might need adjusting. Perhaps you realise you have taken too big a first step. Perhaps something has happened to adjust your timescale. You need to have a mechanism for checking your progress. Perhaps noting down your successes and a thought in a journal.
Arrival
How will you know you have achieved your goal. Perhaps you want to have more money in your life but is that £1 or £1,000,000. Being precise about your goal is important
Set back
It is likely with any new behaviour or changes that you might have a relapse or a set-back. Your ultimate success will be in determined by how you deal with these set-backs. Have a plan perhaps reviewing the goals. Perhaps it was a step too far in the first instance. Perhaps it is about avoiding a situation or temptation. Look at forgiving yourself and re-focusing on arrival at your goal.
Honesty
Be honest with yourself about what you can achieve. It might be nice to climb everest, but more honest with yourself to learn to climb first. You need to be honest about what your current limits are when setting goals.
Having looked at all of the elements of the CRASH plan jot down a few notes about each section to help you with reviews or when there is a set-back. In putting in the work to make your goals match your reality you increase your chances of success
Good Luck with your changes.