Resolutions and Goals
The start of a new year is a time for lots of us to make resolutions and set new goals for the coming year. Some people set a goal of losing weight or make a resolution to watch less television. Whatever it is you want to change about yourself, the beginning of the year is a good place to start. The problem with a lot of these goals and resolutions is they are rather short-lived. Many people plan to lose weight by going to the gym several times a week. They buy a gym membership and the workout clothes and are eager to get started. Unfortunately, they overdo it and get hurt or allow other things get in the way and the resolve to reach that goal fades away. The gym clothes get stuffed in the back of the closet and the gym membership is allowed to expire.
Much the same thing happens with diets. People will sign up for a weight loss program and stick to it for a few weeks, but then there is a party or chance for dinner with the friends and the diet goes out the window. Once you’ve broken the diet, it’s a lot easier to break it again, and again, and again, until finally you give up any pretense all together and go back to your old eating habits.
Some people want to start new things at the beginning of the year, such as writing a book or learning to play an instrument. All of these goals and resolutions usually fail for the same reason, lack of a plan. The desire to make changes in your life, regardless of what they are, is usually not enough for success. The desire to do something has to be accompanied by a plan of action to accomplish what you are trying to do. One of my favorite movie lines comes from the film, The 13th Warrior. When the hero and his friends decide to go after the bad guys, the hero asks, “Do we have anything resembling a plan?”
That’s my question for everyone. Do you have a workable plan to achieve whatever it is you are trying to do?
