How About a New Month's Resolution?

New Month's Resolution

It’s that time of year again. Time to resolve to get thin, get rich, be more organized and be just plain old happier. What an exciting time of year as we all laugh and decide “who” we are going to become this year, much like children giggle and announce they will be firemen and doctors and superheroes.

But February will be here soon. And what then? Just like the children we used to be, we move on to the next thing. Our dreams seem to slip between our fingers and we wait till next January sneaks up on us for our annual resolution visit. That’s all fine and good if our goal is to play and laugh and fantasize about something that maybe we don’t want too very much. But what if the resolution is something we really pine for? What if it is something we really desire? What then?

Well, it’s actually quite simple to make a New Year’s Resolution become reality. Practice the three D’s - one month at a time.

1. Decide what you want to change.
2. Develop one house rule beginning in January to point you in the direction of your goal.
3. Do the house rule over and over. All month long.

This is how it works. It begins with picking a goal. Normally we might pick a resolution like, “I will be thin this year.” Things can fall apart if we set unrealistic or unclear goals. We might decide to go to the gym 65 times in the month of January, all while eating 800 calories a day. Well, we all know what happens next, right?

If, instead, you take the mindset of creating one change and committing to it, you start to really move the wheels of improvement. Imagine, if you said, “I want to be thin, so, in January, I will eat using small plates and not take seconds.” Imagine if that was the only change you made…..a bit easier than 600 hours of exercise, right?

That one goal is what I call a house rule. House rules are guidelines we create for ourselves that help us meet goals and save time with decision making. A perfect house rule is one that is simple and easy to accomplish. One small change. If you practice that house rule regularly, within a month, you will be well on your way to making it a habit. Then, for February, you add another simple house rule. And practice it over and over. Repeating simple changes creates life altering habits.

Here’s the reality. If you took that one month’s resolution and worked on it all year long, you would almost be guaranteed to have more success than most of us who make dramatic temporary changes that don’t last.

Try the New Month’s Resolution. Decide on your goal. Develop a house rule for that goal. Do that house rule for a whole month and see where you end up! If that’s the only change you stick to all year, you will have succeeded. Or, you may decide to add new house rules each month of the year. What then? Big success.

Keep yourself focused on your goals with my free New Month’s Resolution weekly mini-newsletter. Go to my website, simplyputtogether.com, click on the contact page and request New Month’s Resolution newsletter.