How to Succeed at a New Year’s Resolution Every. Single. Time.

Oh, the allure of the New Year!

It is that one magical time of year when all of humanity can wipe the slate clean, and begin anew. This year will be different. This year will be our year!…to fail yet again.

According to a recent article in The Guardian, 86% of people can’t keep to their resolution the entire year, and 43% abandon it within the first month. Why is it so hard for the majority of people to stick to a resolution?

The real reason why resolutions fail.

The fundamental problem with a New Year’s Resolution is that people approach it as a singular milestone goal. We assume that once we reach it we can check it off a list, and not have to think about again.

Lose 30 Pounds. Quit Smoking. Learn a Language.

None of the above resolutions can be checked off a list. No one wants to lose 30 pounds or quit smoking only for a year. What is the purpose in learning a language if the person isn’t going to continue to use it?

That’s why resolutions fail. People treat them as milestone goals. People fail to understand that resolutions embody changes that need to persist to be effective.

Make the resolution a vision, not a goal.

A New Year’s Resolution is not a goal, it’s a vision statement. It becomes a calling. The way you live your life in order to change it.

Don’t feel bad if you didn’t understand that either. It’s not your fault. The media misses this concept entirely. There are thousands of articles that give you tips on keeping your resolutions as goals using basic goal setting techniques.

One article that misses the concept entirely was a recent Psychology Today article:

“…for a starter resolution, we recommend you begin with something small and doable. Pick a small positive change that you’d like to make in your life. Don’t start with a tough one, like losing 30 pounds or quitting smoking.” — Psychology Today.

Ugh. I wonder if any Silicon Valley entrepreneur or Fortune 500 company would be where they are today if they took the advice of these publications.

To fulfill a vision, you need to start a REVOLUTION.

Yes, you read that correctly. A revolution. In order to fulfill a vision statement, you need a revolution. Take for example a founder who starts a company; he or she is starting a mini revolution to execute his or her vision. The company is founded to solve a problem, people are hired, and everyone works hard until they create an ongoing solution to the problem.

That’s what the intention of a New Year’s Resolution is. It’s intended to be a revolution in your life.

Don’t believe me? Take a look at the definition of a revolution:

rev·o·lu·tionˌrevəˈlo͞oSH(ə)n/
noun
1. forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favor of a new system.

When you say your resolution is to Lose 30 Pounds this year, what you’re actually saying that you intend to forcibly overthrow your current social order in favor of a new system that allows you to be 30 pounds lighter on an ongoing basis.

Creating a revolution means you have to approach change in an entirely different fashion than you would for a measly goal.

How to Succeed in a New Year Revolution

Simple steps to your own personal New Year’s Revolution:

1. Create a vision of a new future. This is your vision statement for what you want to change in your life, but the key is to make it something that others can take part in. This is essential for the next steps.
2. Find a town square and publicly declare your New Year’s Revolution. You need a place where people can learn about, take part in, and/or criticize your revolution. Modern technology makes this super easy. Start talking about it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Watch how quickly it begins to spread.
3. Live, eat, breathe, and sleep the revolution. You’re going all in. You’re going to talk about it to everyone you meet. It will become part of everything you do including reading, speaking, eating, relaxing— it’s about reinforcing your resolution, and making sure you never forget it. If you want to learn French, you’re going to go to French events, eat French food, speak to native French speakers, speak to your friends in French, and watch French TV shows. You essentially become French. Vive la révolution!
4. Create a Community. Find the friends that will serve as your army of rabble-rousers, instigators, and trouble-makers. These are the people who will follow you, encourage you, challenge you, and yes, even surpass you. Without them you’ll never achieve a revolution. To change your social order, you need to change your social circle.
5. Gather a ton of Hutzpah. You’re going to need it. Revolutions require you to be beyond bold to make a change. People will raise an eyebrow, and you will have to smile and raise one back.

Think back on the major life changes you have made. Were they a result of a single milestone that you checked off or was it because it become a revolution in your life?

I’d love to hear your revolutionary stories of change in the comments, or if you’d like to use the comments to start your own New Year’s Resolution, use it as your Town Square!

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