How are you making out on those resolutions? Not so well huh? It’s not surprising. Don’t beat yourself up. There’s great news. Just hold your horses.

Photo compliments of cliff1066

If you’ve been following me for any length of time, it’s no secret, I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions.

Yet, in spite of all the statistics that say, more than likely, we’ll fail to stick to those end of year promises, we continue to make hollow unsustainable resolutions.

Last week, I provided Jordan Belfort’s, “The Wolf of Wall Street,” four step process for success. Did you put his blueprint into action? 

How about taking a play from my playbook. Simply be in the moment.

Expect the unexpected.

Make radical changes without much thought. The brain likes to act quickly. It’s how I quit smoking, took up yoga, and scrubbed my diet.

If you’re feeling traction with those New Year’s resolutions, kudos to you! You’re the minority with intestinal fortitude. Keep doing what you’re doing.

The rest of you get a second chance. How?

The Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year, is celebrated for 15 days commencing on January 31st. This is the Year of the Horse, considered to be a lucky year as compared to the not so good Year of the Snake which was marked with turmoil and tragedy throughout the world.

As the Chinese say, “A good horse never turns its head to eat the grass behind.”

So, saddle up, hop on your horse, and gallop towards the horizon with a mindset of serendipity and purposeful expectation.

For me, I’ll continue to stay away from the resolution buffet table.

Instead, I’ll celebrate the Chinese New Year by enjoying a savory plate of Far East cuisine at one of the many fine local Asian restaurants.

If the ‘Wolf’s’ formula doesn’t float your boat, or you’re not the type to make changes in the spur of the moment, I have another recipe that might be more pleasant to your palate.

This weeks guest post is provided by one of my favorite people, Dr. Ron Bonnstetter, Senior VP of Target Training International, my behavioral assessment company.

Happy New Year! Or, as the Chinese say, Xīn Nián Kuài Lè.  (zeen neean kwai luh)

GOALS WITHOUT ‘HOW TO’ PLAN GO NOWHERE

Why do we fail to stick with our well-intended new year resolutions? Would you like to make some real changes this year instead of giving up by February? Maybe it is time to re-examine the process that leads to success. Let’s take a look at the steps required for any successful personal or professional goal.

Step 1:  Select a realistic number of goals.

Research has found that two or three goals are manageable for most people. More than three result in a loss of focus and a lack of follow-through. So prioritize your goals and select those that are most important. One goal accomplished may be better than five started.

Step 2: Make an action plan with check-point milestones.

This is really the key to success. Far too often we have a goal, such as reading more books, but fail to develop a specific action plan that includes specific tasks as well as time frames with incremental milestones. Imagine your goal is to hit a “home run” deal this year, but you fail to establish what it will look like when you reach first, or your strategy for reaching second base, etc. Only having an end point does not help you develop the path to success.

This “all or none” mentality can result in a lack of momentum to stay the course. All of us, from time-to-time, need renewed motivation. Having milestones along the way allows us to celebrate progress and regain our enthusiasm for our ultimate goal.

Step 3:  Modify if needed rather than give up.

Having check-points not only allows for progress checks, but builds in formative assessment thus creating opportunities for course correction. We can reflect on how realistic our milestones were and re-examine our time frames to allow for our new insights.

Step 4:  Constant visualization (what does success look like)

Our brain creates images as a natural process of thinking. We must be able to visualize goal completion if we ever hope to reach that goal. If you do not know what the ultimate outcome looks like and feels, how will you know if you met the challenge?

While resolutions are often thought of in terms of some end product, it is the process that paves the way to success. Happy New Year and may all (2 or 3) of your goals be met.