Making sure you keep your resolutions this year I know what you’re thinking.  Here comes another new year, and there are those things you don’t like about yourself or your life (and who wants to think about that!).  And as sure as winter brings cold and snow to me up here in Boston, you probably feel a determination bubble up within you to change things.  “This will be the year…”  And like lots of us you feel on the verge yet again to make a New Year’s Resolution. 

I’ll bet your past resolutions haven’t always brought you the major changes you were hoping for.  In fact, New Year’s Resolutions are too often a set-up for failure and discouragement.  Sorry, but it’s true, and you know it.  And that’s because we’re hoping determination and commitment will carry us through.   But is there an alternative?  YES!  If you want to make a real change in your life or just give yourself the best year ever, there’s one book that stands out above all the others and that will show you how to have the best year ever, and it’s called The Gift of a Year.   

But how would you like good, quick help right here, right now?  Having a plan is the real secret of people who are successful with their New Year’s Resolutions.  To form a plan, ask yourself these questions, and try to find the best answers you can: 1.  “Who will support me?”  You need support if you hope to succeed. Someone to guide you, advise you, encourage you, stay on your case, be your partner.  Someone to take you by the hand and be with you step by step. 

2.   “What’s the step-by-step?”  Every important goal is the sum of success with a lot of little goals.  All right then, how can you break down what you want to do into a series of steps?  What’s the one-day-at-a-time version of your doing what you want to do? 3.  “Where are the glitches?”  For your resolution to succeed, you should ask in advance “If I failed at this, how would that happen?”  Who, or what, would sabotage your efforts?  If you know where you will run into trouble in advance, you can clear away the obstacles before they get in your way. 

4.  “Are you doing this for yourself?”  If you resolve to do something just to please someone else, that’s a setup for failure.  You’ve got to know why you’re making this resolution, and you’ve got to understand down to the bottom of your heart why it’s good for you to succeed with it. And the cool thing is that if you follow this advice, keeping your New Year’s Resolution can be easy.  Finally this can be the year where you really do lose that weight, learn Spanish, run a marathon, write a novel, improve your relationship, or make any other dream come true. 

I’d say Good luck, but if you follow this advice, you won’t need it.  So, Have fun! Let’s support each other with this.  Let me know what your New Year’s Resolutions are.  How do you plan to keep them?  Any good ideas you have will surely benefit others.  And what questions do you have about how to keep your New Year’s Resolutions?  I bet there are people reading these words who will have excellent answers.  If we help each other, we will succeed.  Share your wisdom with the rest of us!  The place to write your comments is below. Let’s get a good conversation going.  THANKS!