I RESOLVE TO . . .: I Resolve To® . . . Defuse Resolution Land Mines!

New Year resolutions don't magically transform from nebulous ideas to fast and firm results overnight. They don't become 'real' without careful forethought, clarity of purpose, a common sense system for planning and doing, and a lot of elbow grease. If you are considering lifestyle changes that you would love to adopt, or perhaps a dream that you passionately want to pursue, consider this affirmation as a starting point: I Resolve To . . . Achieve My New Year Resolutions, One Resolution, One Day At A Time For One Year® .

Instead of making a long 'tired' list of negative things that you feel obligated to change in your life, why not change the paradigm, think outside the box, and be willing to color outside the lines. Make just one positive resolution, or pursue one positive theme, that will enable you to learn new things, offer challenge and excitement, and bring happiness, joy and reward to your life. Make a promise to yourself to pursue one resolution 'just for you' in the New Year. If you are not sure what you want to 'resolve', do some brainstorming and create a 'Lifetime Resolution List' consisting of at least 100 things that you would love to do, be, see, feel, experience, create, achieve, learn, try, change, or have in your life. As you brainstorm, ask yourself, if you had all the time, skills, knowledge, money, opportunity, and support in the world, what would you do? No holds barred. List everything large and small, significant and insignificant, realistic, or seemingly unrealistic. This is an exercise in dreaming large, daring to dream the impossible dream, and opening one's mind to all the wonderful possibilities.

Next choose just one large dream, or theme from your list that truly excites and inspires you, then pursue it with patience, passion and persistence in the coming year. If you need help visualizing a process to launch your effort, wrap your arms around this easy to understand formula: Cherished Dream + Specific One Sentence Resolution + Daily Goals (Daily Resolves) = Success, Achievement & Reward. My personal favorite Lifetime Resolution is to exercise regularly for good health and happiness: I Resolve To . . . Exercise for at least 30-minutes daily by walking, biking, swimming, stretching, doing light Yoga, weight training, or playing tennis, so that I can maintain 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.

If you are ready to roll your sleeves up and build a plan - the I Resolve To . . . System For Success is useful for mapping virtually any resolution. The 'Do's' consist of five simple steps for planning and implementing resolutions: Dare To Dream, Decide, Define, Develop A Plan, And Do It Daily. The 'Don'ts' include five common sense strategies that can help you to avoid obstacles and land mines: Procrastinate, Give In To Fear of Success Or Failure, Get Discouraged & Overwhelmed, Grow Bored & Weary, Or Give Up. Armed with a Lifetime Resolution List, the I Resolve To . . . Formula and I Resolve To . . . System For Success, you are ready to get moving. Before you begin brainstorming, planning and plotting for the New Year, pay close attention to the following 'Resolution Land Mines' . . . that way you can render them harmless before they stall your progress.

25 New Year Resolution Land Mines & Solutions:

Resolution is too vague. Solution: Create a specific one-sentence resolution that includes the 'who, what, when, where, why and how' of achieving your resolution.
Too many resolutions leading to overwhelm and lack of focus. Solution: Make one major, life-altering resolution at a time.
Wrong resolution chosen with no thought or analysis. Solution: Do your homework and choose one resolution that evokes passion and interest.
Unrealistic expectations and the bar for achievement is set way too high. Solution: Don't bite off more than you can chew, take small, realistic, daily steps.
Unrealistic tasks. Solution: Take one small step - one daily goal, AKA a Daily Resolve - one day at a time; forget multi-tasking and overnight results.
No true desire, commitment, or passion for your resolution. Solution: Desire is a primary key to momentum and success.
No research into what is required to achieve the resolution. Solution: Again, educate yourself about the 'who, what, when, where, why and how' of achievement. Knowledge is power, it eliminates guesswork.
No long and short-range plan. Solution: Build weekly and monthly plans that can be broken town into simple daily action plans that consist of small realistic steps; review and revise goals daily.
No Timeline and no deadlines for completing daily tasks. Solution: Build realistic weekly and monthly timelines and set deadlines.
No Daily Resolution Diary, journal, or written record. Solution: Record your daily journey so that you can track progress and keep yourself accountable [Spiral notebooks, journals, day book calendars, wall calendars, and blogs are wonderful tools for accountability].
No motivation and follow through. Solution: Keep your eye on the prize and reward yourself, often, for accomplishments. Remember, success breeds success, victories add up and help to build enthusiasm.
No method of measuring progress, determining success, giving reward. Solution: Set specific daily tasks, record daily progress, review milestones, and make course corrections weekly.
No accountability. Solution: A journal, calendar, blog, timeline, buddy, family support, and a mentor can help keep you on track.
No organization. Solution: Build a written plan, and timeline with deadlines that will create 'structure' for daily tasks.
No discipline. Solution: Show up every day whether you want to, or not. The days that you are least motivated could reap the most progress - showing up is half the battle!
No commitment to daily action. Solution: Showing up every day, even for just a few minutes, or an hour (or two) helps make your resolution a permanent (not fleeting) 'daily habit'.
No buddies to work with and share ideas. Solution: Make time to cultivate buddies who share your vision and enthusiasm.
No mentor, clubs, or classes to provide inspiration and useful information and support. Solution: Join a club, take a class and Identify a mentor.
No family support. Solution: Find support from friends, colleagues and mentors; share your journey with like-minded souls who are understanding, fun, committed, and willing to work hard.
Feelings of being overwhelmed due to no planning. Solution: Build a plan first, then take one small step at a time, one day at a time. Set the bar low enough to allow time to learn to soar over it. Increase the challenge(s) as you build confidence.
Procrastination. Solution: Get moving - 'just do it' - start with the easy tasks first and build momentum toward the tougher tasks.
Fear of success. Solution: "Yes", life will change as you make progress toward achieving your dream - embrace the change and fear that comes with it.
Fear of failure. Solution: Embrace failure, learn from your mistakes, and move forward (failing isn't the end of your dream, not trying and living a life of regret is a major dream killer).
Inability to let go of past failures and mistakes, learn lessons and move forward. Solution: Learn your lessons, let the failures go, and move on. It is sour medicine, but worth each and every dose.
Failure to celebrate and build on each success. Solution: Celebrate your accomplishments, reap the rewards and have fun - success breeds success.

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!

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