Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind.
Seneca
4 B.C. – 65 A.D.

If you’re like most people, you have lots of intentions to improve your life. At this time of year, we usually tell ourselves that, starting January 1, we’re going to do things differently: we’re going to get out of debt, lose that extra weight, establish an exercise routine, and spend more time on the important things in life.

A large number of people make New Year’s resolutions, committing to specific changes in the coming year. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of these promises made to ourselves don’t last. We have good intentions, but for whatever reason, those intentions fail to translate into lasting changes in our lives and lifestyles.

I want to use this lesson and subsequent ones to share with you some wisdom from the book Nine Things Successful People Do Differently by Heidi Halvorson. Her ideas can be distilled into nine steps you can use to turn your resolutions into real life changes. (If you want to delve deeper into the concepts, her book is available electronically on Amazon.com for around $3 US.)

The first step is to get very specific about what you want. Resolving to get out of debt isn’t as clear as saying you want to pay off $12,000 in credit card debt over the next 18 months. Resolving to lose your extra weight isn’t as specific as saying you want to lose 12 pounds over the next 6 months. So the first step is to get clear about what you want.

Sounds easy enough, right? But part of step one is to get specific about what is standing between you and your goal. If your plan is to reduce credit card debt, what will need to happen? You need to go back and forth between what you want and what it will take to get what you want — a process called mental contrasting. You visualize the completion of your goal and all the associated benefits, then contrast that by visualizing the actions you need to take to achieve the desired result. Visualizing the process to reach your goal highlights the necessity of taking action. Most people fail to achieve their goals simply because they never take the necessary actions.

According to Halvorson, mental contrasting leads to greater effort and higher overall rates of completed goals.

One other suggestion: write out your goals and the obstacles standing in your way, stipulating the time frame available to complete your goal. If you plan to get out of debt or lose weight by a target date, you should set milestones along the way so you can track your progress.

This process will bring a much higher degree of success – if you follow the steps. You can’t take shortcuts. If you’ve made and broken your New Year’s Resolutions before, why not try a different approach — one designed using scientific studies to give the highest rate of success.

Take action now. Write down two or three goals. Be specific: what will success look like, and what obstacles are standing in your way? Engage in mental contrasting between your goals and the obstacles. And set aside some time each day to take action toward your goals.

It is no profit to have learned well, if you fail to do well.
Publilius Syrus
1st Century B.C.

Copyright © 2012 John Chancellor