You thought we forgot, didn’t you? According to the New York Times, 80% of people who make resolutions on January 1 will fall off the wagon by Valentine’s Day. Six weeks of keeping a resolution isn’t anything to brag about for most people.
But…there’s hope! Don’t give up yet – it’s only June. The year isn’t even half way through yet, so you can still do this! With a few practical tips, you can revisit those goals, but you should first answer these questions:
– Did you write down your goals?
– Does anyone know about your goals?
There’s something powerful about having your goals written down on paper so that you can see them. It’s much more effective if you can see the goals every day. Changing your computer background to show the written goals, posting sticky notes on your bathroom mirror, and putting notecards in your dashboard are great ways to keep the goals in plain view.
You’ll also have a better chance of succeeding this time if you share your goals with others. Being accountable to someone else can be the motivation you need to keep going six weeks into it!
Once you have answered these two questions, you can run with these suggestions:
1. Start Fresh
So what if six months went by and you haven’t lost 15 pounds. If you don’t do anything now, another six months will go by and you probably won’t be any lighter on the scale. Think of July 1 as your new starting line. Most goals could be started at any point, so why wait another six months for January to come? Start over now!
2. Trim the Goals
If you want to meet your goals this time, you might need to trim them a little. Make sure your goals are reasonable and measurable. Set yourself up for success from the start and have ways to measure how well you’re doing.
3. Reward Yourself
Rewards don’t work for everyone, but if you like to receive rewards for meeting goals, why not reward yourself? Break your goal into smaller segments so that after a few weeks of being successful, you can treat yourself a little. If you need to, let a friend know about your incentive schedule and have them keep you on track.
4. Staying Motivated
Motivation is hard to come by sometimes, but there’s one question that can help keep yourself going. Was I better today than I was yesterday? I don’t want to get all Zig Ziglar on everyone, but I’ve found that asking myself this will help to push me a little more when I’m feeling unmotivated. It doesn’t work every time, but if you’re consistent in asking yourself this question, I think you’ll benefit more often than not.
Do you have a resolution that didn’t make it through the year? Share it in the comments (you’ll be writing it down and telling someone…the first step to getting back on track with your resolutions!)
Tim is a personal finance writer at Faith and Finance a Christian financial help blog that provides financial insights for individuals, businesses, and churches. Outside of finance, Tim enjoys spending time with his wife, playing the saxophone, reading economics books, and a good game of RISK or Catan. Find him on Twitter and Facebook and subscribe to the Faith and Finance RSS feed.
good tips. actually these days lots of people get divorced and most of them cant keep a long relationship… i think it’s because the big ego of some of them which don’t like to be with only one partner.
I don’t recall any New Year’s resolutions since I didn’t write anything down. I did resolve in mid-February to lose weight by October. I am down almost 15 pounds and would like to lose another 12-13. I may have bad days and eat too much, but each day is a new day so I strive to succeed daily. In the end, hopefully the good days outweigh the bad.
Normally, I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions, but I did for the sake of my blog. They became my goals that I monitor weekly and adjust the efforts to reach the goals. So far, I am on track to achieve them, but there is still 6 1/2 months to go.
NY resolutions are notoriously hard and I don’t doubt the 80% failure rate by Valentines Day…probably another 10-15% fail shortly thereafter. I like your idea of starting fresh later in the year. Too many people get discouraged and think it’s all or nothing. But, there’s nothing wrong with giving it another go later on, and, like you say, making a few adjustments here and there.
someone smart once said: “the first reason for divorce is marriage”.
Thanks for your great tips.Staying Motivated is the best way to get back.“the first reason for divorce is marriage”,I understand the meaning of this sentence
Thanks for the encouragement. I haven’t forgotten my resolutions but they haven’t been progressing as well as I hoped they would. Time to refresh and move forward.