Now that we have entered in a new year, you can be sure that thousands have made resolutions to do better in their lives. Given how few resolutions succeed, it seemed appropriate to repost this article from last year. It's the perfect addition to those finishing up Rocket Goals...



Yesterday marked the beginning of a new year, a new month, a new week, and a new day for that matter--and as such it held all the potential of a blank slate. Any it's true: anything is possible in the coming year.

Many choose to fill that slate with Resolutions.

Resolutions
People have been making resolutions to mark the new year for centuries, going back at least as far as the Romans. And people have been failing their resolutions for just as long.

According to statistics, somewhere between 50% and 60% of Americans make New Years resolutions, and of those, more than half make multiple resolutions. And yet, few keep them successfully. According to one recent study, as many as 80% of those who make New Years resolutions fail to keep them. Half of those give up within one week!

Still resolutions can be helpful. Research suggests people who make resolutions are 10 times more likely to change their behavior than those who don't make a commitment. And even if our first attempt fails, we may learn something in the process that strengthens us for next time. Of those who do succeed, only 40% do so on their first try. A full 20% don't succeed until their fifth or sixth try!

Improving Our Odds
What can we do to "improve our odds"? Here's five suggestions.

1. Be clear and specific about your resolutions. "I plan on losing 20 lbs by June 1st" is better than "I plan on losing weight." And writing things down can help. Writing forces us to be precise, and documents our resolution. One study showed this simple act can increase our chance of success by more than 40%.

2. Focus on the process, rather than the outcome. If your goal is losing weight, for example, identify one or more specific lifestyle changes that will help, and keep your focus there: walking 3 times a week, cutting-out some fattening food you like, eliminating midnight snacks, etc. Without a change in habits, any progress you make is unlikely to last.

3. Stay focused. Trying to make more than 2 or 3 changes at a time can be counterproductive. And you will have the best success if the resolutions you work on are related. That is, 2-3 resolutions connected with weight loss, are better than one resolution on health, one on marriage, and one on finances. Research suggests connected resolutions help reinforce each other.

4. Monitor your progress. Having an objective measure of success that you track over time and record consistently (daily or weekly) can help in a number of ways. It forces you to review your resolutions regularly. You get feedback on what works and what doesn't. And early success is a powerful motivator, giving encouragement and building momentum.

5. Make a solid commitment. One dictionary defines the word resolutions this way: "a firm decision to do or not to do something". But all too often, there is nothing "firm" about it. Rather than seeing it as a fun but trivial exercise, take your resolutions more seriously. Choose them carefully, and determine to follow through. Solomon put it this way: "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might" (Ecclesiastes 9:10Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.). Similarly, Paul wrote: "whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men" (Colossians 3:23And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;).



Promises
The real secret to keeping our resolutions however has nothing to do with us. It revolves around another similar word: promises. And I'm not talking about turning our resolutions into promises. I'm talking about the promises of God.

Regardless of the strategies we employ to be successful in keeping our resolutions--apart from God, our best commitments are often like ropes of sands. Human nature is just too weak.



But the Bible is full of amazing promises. And these promises are sure: "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?). Learning to tap into these promises gives us access to power that goes beyond our human nature. We are given "exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature" (II Peter 1:4Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.).

It is this combination of our "resolutions" with God's "promises" that leads to success. It's the blending of works and faith. Human effort and divine power. Combined, you can pursue the change you seek with every confidence of success!

"Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass" (Psalms 37:5Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.).

Comments

Do you make New Years resolutions? If so, how successful have you been at keeping them? What can you do to "improve your odds"? Share a thought in the comments below...

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