It is well known that New Year’s resolutions don’t have a high success rate, but yet every January it seems most people still set at least one goal for the upcoming year. The simple fact is that there is an allure to starting the year off with fresh hopes and dreams, to wiping the slate clean and strive toward self-improvement. But if the actual rate of following through is so low, why do we bother? Why set ourselves up to fail, when you know from the outset that you are practically doomed? The truth is, as Nona Jordan (master certified coach and energy worker) points out in an article on www.psychcentral.com, that “people…have hope and a certain level of belief in their ability to change and be more of who they really want to be.” And so we continue to make promises to ourselves each January, in anticipation of getting at least one or more steps closer to the goals we have set for ourselves.

So how do we better our chances of succeeding? While there are many approaches that work well for different people, the literature suggests that the following three paths have proven the most beneficial:

New Year’s Day is a great day to start fresh! Photo Credit: Courtney Stroup

1. Set reachable goals. What this really amounts to is: AIM LOW! Don’t set yourself up for failure from the very beginning. While each defeat will cause you to beat yourself up in your mind, each small win will raise your self-esteem. When we boost our confidence our chances for success are also improved. Hand-in-hand with this approach is that you don’t make a list of resolutions. Make one. And then put everything you have into doing it well.

2. Be committed to your goal. Change is hard, but setting routines and learning balance will keep you advancing toward your objective. Map out the steps you will need to take. Talk to everyone you know so they can help hold you accountable. Work to avoid the situations where you’ve found yourself slipping so you can learn to navigate temptations and failures.

3. Be prepared for setbacks. While you can do everything in your power to minimize temptations, to start small, or to plan out how you will succeed, there will be bumps in the road. And that is okay. If you know that you will mess up then it is somehow easier to acknowledge the mistake and be ready to begin again with the same determination as before.

Have you made any resolutions for 2015? Or have your found success in prior resolutions? What steps will you take to obtain your goals? Tell us about them. Let’s work together to make this the best year yet!

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