It's June 1, do you know where your New Year Resolutions are? Perhaps they've been buried somewhere on your desk since January 2. Maybe you got all fired up, but your motivation only took you as far as Valentine's Day. Or maybe you've been working on those resolutions in fits and starts. You haven't given up on them, but they are not yet a part of your daily routine. Regardless of the status, if you 
have a dream, resolution and daily goals that you truly want to achieve, the actions that you take today can set the stage for the rest of the summer and ultimately the rest of the year.
If you have been less than successful don't beat yourself up. Don't dwell incessantly on what you didn't do from January 1 to June 1. Instead, pause long enough to assess what you originally set out to achieve, what worked, what didn't work, what you actually accomplished, and what you intend to do next. Then move forward and don't look back. Learn from your mistakes, then let them go. Turn the page so you can begin writing a new chapter about your dreams, resolutions and daily goals in the months ahead.
Resolution-setters often make the process of achieving dreams, resolutions and goals harder than it needs to be because they begin without a process. They don't have a system that enables them to turn thought into action and ultimately achievement. Equally important, they don't apply common sense. Instead, folks begin the journey without doing the preparatory work that is necessary to actually fulfill a dream, turn a resolution into reality and achieve daily goals. If you truly want to succeed you must have a system - a gameplan - and a dream about which you have great passion, interest and desire. Alternatively launching your effort without careful thought, research and planning ultimately leads to disappointment.
Preparation, focus and clarity of thought are vital to the process of achieving dreams, resolutions and daily goals. If you're ready to breathe some new life into your New Year Resolutions, consider the I Resolve To . . . Formula For Success. It's easy to understand and simple to implement:
Dream + Resolution + Daily Goals = Success, Achievement & Reward
Start with a dream about which you have great passion interest and desire. Turn that dream into a one-sentence resolution that clearly defines what you intend to do and why you want to do it. Make that resolution a reality with daily goals - one goal at a time, one day at a time. For instance one of my Lifetime Resolutions is to exercise daily. I often can't work out as much as I would like, but exercise is an entrenched habit. I made that decision long ago and I stick with it. I don't get depressed if I miss a few days, or if I can only work out 3-5 days (which is often the case). I know I will get back on track because exercise is a treasured part of my life that I thorougly enjoy.
Armed with the formula, if you are not sure how to proceed, five additional tools, the I Resolve To . . . Do's will help to launch your dream and ensure that you maintain motivation as you make the journey toward achievement:
I Resolve To . . . System For Success - The Do's:
- Dare To Dream: Open your mind and consider all the wonderful possibilities. Find a quiet spot where you can relax and daydream with your journal. Make a list of the 100 things that you would truly love to do, be, see, feel, create, experience, learn, achieve, and have while you're here on earth - your Lifetime Resolution List. Focus like a laser on the one dream that most inspires you, makes you excited and nervous at the same time. Focus on the one that you will want to pursue day after day, the one that would make you happy and proud.
- Decide: Make a firm decision, a personal commitment, a promise to yourself to pursue that dream today; to make it a Lifetime Resolution that is with you for good. Why fulfill a dream, then check it off your list? Why not achieve it, keep it with you, and enjoy it for life! Achieve it, then take it to the next level. Use what you've learned to inspire and invigorate you - to launch you toward achieving new dreams and resolutions.
- Define: Turn that dream into a specific, positive, one-sentence resolution that provides clarity of purpose. For instance, I Resolve To exercise for 30-minutes daily by walking, working out with weights, swimming, doing Yoga, and biking, so that I can reach and maintain my my ideal weight (i.e. 125 pounds), be fit and toned (i.e. look good in my clothes, and feel good about myself), be healthy (i.e. lower my cholesterol and blood pressure), and maintain a good mood and positive outlook.
- Develop A Plan: Do your homework. Learn all you can about the 'who, what, when, where, why, and how' of your dream, then turn that knowledge into written short and long-range plans that include daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly goals, timelines, and milestones, along with a system of making course corrections, and rewarding victories. Keep a Daily Resolution Diary and do Daily and Weekly Check-Ins. Your plan is a living document that will grow and change as you grow, learn and change.
- Do It Daily!: Each and every day take one small step - achieve at least one goal - that will enable you to make your dream, your resolution a reality. Try to devote at least 30-minutes each day to your dream. If you devote just 30-minutes each day to your dream that adds up like compound interest on money in the bank to 7.5 full 24-hour days in one year! Tell your friends and family and enlist their support. Find buddies who can make the journey with you. Seek out a mentor who can provide advice. Join a club or take a class to learn new things that will lend motivation and inspiration to your quest. Wear your resolution on your shirt, and plant a post-it on your computer, your mirror, your refrigerator - anyplace that will provide frequent reminders.
Don't wait for January 1, 2009, to pursue a heartfelt dream, do it now. You can never regain the precious time that has already passed like sand through an hourglass, but you can make the most of today, tomorrow and the next day. Abandon the 'Someday, Someday, Someday Syndrome'. Act now. Visit my I Resolve To . . . Systems & I Resolve To . . . Tips pages for additional ideas, then get moving!
Remember: I Resolve To . . . Achieve My New Year Resolutions, One Resolution, One Day At A Time For One Year. It's your choice. Do it today. Turn your resolution into reality in five simple, common sense steps: Dare To Dream, Decide, Define, Develop A Plan, and Do It Daily. Make your resolution a permanent Lifetime Resolution, something that's with you for good! Above all, Be A Resolutionista, someone who makes resolutions, keeps resolutions, and enjoys the journey! Let's Go For It!
Need More Inspiration? Wear Your Resolution! Make Every Day New Year's Day. Make Every Day Count. Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link: http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto
Kim M. Simpson - June 1, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved
Comments