Setting the Resolutions
A resolution is a fancy word for goal and there is much research that helps us achieve our goals. First we need to be specific about what we want to achieve. Perhaps you’d like to change your career, but how would you like to change it. Perhaps you want to take the next step up the ladder, or perhaps you want to achieve a particular score in your objectives.
Goals should be measurable so you know when you have achieved it. “I want to improve my relationship with my husband” –what does that mean? What test can you apply? Perhaps you should consider making the goal “I want to spend more time with my husband”.
Goals need to be achievable. Having arrived in my late 40s that opportunities to win the Olympic 100m or become a formula one winner have perhaps passed me by. So when setting goals you need to make sure that it is possible to achieve them.
Goals need to be realistic, I am unlikely to be able to learn to play the piano in an afternoon, but I might learn the names of the notes in the same timescale. Choosing small steps leading up to the behaviour you want is important for success.
Finally Goals should have a time that they are measured over. When are you going to achieve the goal by. That way you can measure your progress.
So how you choose your resolutions and how you measure your success is key to the finally outcome, whether you achieve them or not.
Read part 1