Who among us didn't stuff down one more iced Christmas cookie when we were bursting at the seams, just because New Year's Day -- that day when we resolve to be better, thinner, more disciplined -- was so close at hand? We wanted to get all the good stuff in before The Great Deprivation.

The Great Deprivation, though, typically lasts a week.

We know too well that New Year's resolutions are notoriously broken. Yet it turns out people who actually make conscious resolutions are far more successful in reaching their goals than those who just have goals. A  study conducted by the University of Scranton found that 46% of "resolvers" reported success after six months. Sadly, less than 4% of those who didn't make resolutions achieved their goals.

While the study participants tended to have more specific behavioral goals like smoking cessation, the results are still instructive for professional applications.

All doing begins with thought. Consider this popular quote by Frank Outlaw: "Watch your thoughts; for they become words. Watch your words; for they become actions. Watch your actions; for they become habits. Watch your habits; for they become character. Watch your character for it will become your destiny." So we begin by committing our best thoughts to paper. Allowing ourselves to be guided by them, we may find the "stickiness" needed to keep us on track toward our goals.

A successful plan might include:

  1. Using G'SOT (Goals, Strategy, Objectives, Tactics) or OGOT (Objectives, Goals, Tactics, Metrics) to break big ideas into actionable daily tasks.

It is much easier to face a new day with the task of making ten solid prospecting phone calls, conducting one quality performance evaluation, or competently completing one module in a quality audit, than staring at what might be the ultimate goal, say, of getting promoted.

  1. Assuring that the goals are SMART:

o   Specific
o   Measurable
o   Agreed upon
o   Realistic
o   Time based

The agreement factor is particularly critical to avoid having a plan that must be overhauled with every wrinkle that comes along. A constant re-evaluation and reformulation of goals is emotionally exhausting and often sends our plans hurling toward the circular file.

  1. Being your own best cheerleader.

Dr. Norcross, author of the study and clinical psychologist, advises, "One needs to establish genuine confidence that one can keep the resolution, despite the occasional slips. We call this self-efficacy. That's not general self-confidence, rather it's specific conviction that you can change a behavior."

Final note: Be sure your goals are attainable and within reach. Nothing derails motivation like a determination to achieve something we have minimal control over, just because we want it!

Norcross found that 19% of the resolvers had stuck with their resolutions and achieved their goals at the end of two years. By learning to be better resolvers, may January 2019 find us all on the happy side of these statistics!

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