5 Steps to Successfully Reaching Your 2018 Resolutions

The New Year is here and chances are, you’ve made a resolution or three. Did you know that less than 10 percent of people who make New Year’s resolutions actually feel like they successfully achieve them?

Maybe you’ve made a fitness resolution like losing 12 pounds or a career resolution such as finding a more fulfilling job. Whatever your goal, the best way to achieve success is to set yourself up for it. Here are five great ways to set yourself up for success in 2018.

1.    Make a list and edit it twice. So many of us start the New Year with an incredibly long list of resolutions. And although many of us are wonder women and men, achieving every single goal we set for ourselves would require the strength of ten super-humans. Cutting down your list to the top three or four goals ensures a much greater chance of success.

2.    Out with the old. Do you have any “leftover” goals? If you haven’t acted on achieving something you thought you wanted in over two years, it may be time to let it go. In fact, that resolution may not be that important to you after all.

3.    Picture your success - literally. Think about your goal, close your eyes and imagine achieving it. Let yourself enjoy the moment and savor the positive emotions that thoughts of your success can create. Experiencing the emotions of your goal can be extremely motivating in taking the steps to achieve it.

4.    Make an action plan. Now that you know what your goals are, write down the steps that will help you achieve them. Breaking down each goal into smaller, more manageable steps achieves two things: it makes the steps tangible and it makes a larger goal easier to accomplish.

5.    Get together. Ask a friend or relative to set herself up for success, too. Swap goal lists and schedule regular check-ins with each other. Make this a weekly habit and you’ll be amazed how far you can both go with someone else cheering you on, and keeping you accountable.

Here’s to your success in 2018!