This year, resolve instead to make better plans.

Smile if you’ve heard this before;

It’s January 2016, welcome to a brand new year! The chance to start fresh and tackle your challenges head on. This year is going to be better than last year right? Because we’re all super-pumped and focussed and ready to get it done!

It’s February, and yeah we’re sorta doing ok. Challenges? Oh they’re …. challenging.

It’s March. New Year’s resolutions? Blah blah blah pass me some chocolate.

Fact: A survey of over 1000 Australians found that 15% had broken their New Year’s resolutions in the first three months, and 40% had broken theirs by September 2015. In the USA the figures are even more startling. Only 46% of Americans surveyed had maintained their resolution past six months, and only 8% had stuck to them by the end of the year.

There’s many different methods available to help a person achieve a better success rate with their New Year’s resolutions. The bigger cause for why a person winds up on the wrong side of the statistics is present before they’ve even began. The state of their mindset.

Your mindset is key to helping you reach what you’re chasing. The power of positive thinking alone is not enough. With a little hard work New Year’s resolutions have the power to change a person. Hard work separates what you have, from what you have not. In order to create a strong and positive mindset regarding your New Year’s resolutions, take some time out and work on your answers to these questions.

What?

What exactly is it you want to be/do/have? And be specific. If it’s weight loss how much? How many centimetres off where? If it’s quitting smoking by when? Cut down and quit or cold turkey? And with what support? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, specifics matter and the more clarity you have around what you’re chasing the more likely you’ll be successful in your chase.

Why?

Why are you choosing to do this? What’s the benefit? Do you believe in it or are you just saying it? What is spurring you on? Your reason why will drive your passion. The more compelling it is the more energy you can call upon should you hit a low moment when chasing your resolution.

How?

How will you achieve this? How will you get started? How will you know when you’ve reached your goal and completed your New Year’s resolution? Simply put, you need a plan or you will not achieve. Shooting from the hip or doing things on the fly will result in lack lustre results. Create a plan, get a timeline in place, and work according to that plan.

Keep your New Year’s resolutions to only a few. Much easier to focus and win that way. And when it comes to focus, head up and look forwards wherever you are. This helps reduce negative thoughts. And finally imagination, see yourself beyond your New Year’s resolutions. Imagine how cool it will be to look back on 2016 and see what you’ve achieved.

What you’re thinking about and why you’re thinking about it are the two most influential factors upon your success. Your mindset has the ability to take you toward the change you want, so work with it not against it. Give, and don’t give up. Work, and don’t whinge. Fill your minds’ conversations with stories of achievement and forward momentum, using your compelling reason “why” to help overcome any talk of ‘too hard’ or ‘can’t be bothered’.

Originally published here.