45% of American’s usually make a New Year’s Resolution, and 25% of those are abandoned within the first week of the year, according to The University of Scranton Journal of Clinical Psychology. It’s okay to declare your resolution to everyone. We know you’re crossing your fingers and hoping that this New Year will be the best one ever.
Here are the 10 most cited:
- Lose Weight
- Get Organized
- Spend Less, Save More
- Enjoy Life to the Fullest
- Stay fit and healthy
- Learn something exciting
- Quit smoking
- Help others
- Fall in love
- More family time
I’m not going to pass judgment on those resolutions, but I will remind you that nothing magical happens after the first of the year. You could tackle any of these at any time.
However, let’s assume you’re too tired, or stressed, or just want to veg out in the waning days of the year. You know it’ll take you a few days to psych yourself up and find the motivation to take action. Do your future self a favor and begin to formulate an answer to a couple of questions to fortify your resolution. How much and by when?
Want to lose weight? How much and by when?
Want to spend less and save more? How much will you allow yourself to spend and save, and when will your bank balance be the number you want?
Going to help others? How much and by when? Is randomly feeding parking meters with quarters once a month going to do it for you, or were you thinking about teaching someone to read every week, or tossing some money toward a KickStarter Project or Kiva every pay period?
When you’re able to answer how much and by when, you create accountability and a progress measure. That alone won’t assure success, but it will carry you farther than just wishing hard ever will.