Rethinking New Year's Resolutions
After a few years of avoiding New Year’s resolutions, we’re jumping back on the January goal-setting bandwagon. The reason behind our return? A recent conversation with our colleague, franchise development manager Meg Dougherty, during which she shared her time-tested strategy for self-improvement. Here, we pass along her method for identifying—and achieving—annual goals that will have a lasting impact.
Make multiple resolutions. Rather than committing to a single, major New Year’s resolution that can feel overwhelming, identify areas of focus in a few aspects of your life that you’d like to improve. For example, try Meg’s 2016 approach and set a physical goal, a personal goal, a family goal, a friend goal, and a professional goal. Or perhaps opt for her mother’s resolution routine, from which Meg adapted her own: set a personal goal, a relationship goal, and a goal related to each of your children.
Be realistic. Making your self-improvement endeavors attainable in the short-term is a must, Meg says. She suggests selecting things that you can accomplish in less than a year—ideally you’ll be able to check them off in three to six months. This helps keep resolutions rooted in reality, and prevents procrastination.
Don’t forget to measure. Whatever you decide to tackle, you need to be able to track your progress. Once you’ve identified your resolutions, figure out how you’ll assess your achievements along the way. As you work toward your goal, make adjustments as needed.
Enlist an expert. While we can easily achieve some goals on our own, a little expert guidance can be highly beneficial in certain areas. If your resolutions involve health and wellness, getting organized, or learning a new skill, consider finding a professional who can help you get on the road to success (may we suggest searching the TSG Directory?).
