A Better Way to Make Resolutions Work

Often people get ambitious at New Year's and make a long list of changes they want to make this year, only to get frustrated and give up on it part way into the year.

Here is a simpler, more powerful way to go about making real changes.

Start by knowing that you cannot have several different number one priorities. For example, once you identify the single most important goal you would like to take action on. Then choose two more important goals. Order these three by priority.

Now your top goal may take longer to achieve, but the second and third might be accomplished in a lot less time. So as you accomplish goals, you can take them off your list of three and replace them with others.

In this way, you get more of a feeling of accomplishment. A list of three is a lot less daunting than a list of 12, but in the course of the year, you may be able to do all 12, by taking them 3 at a time. Accomplish something, feel good about it and then feel energized to accomplish more. If you make significant progress on a list of 3 you feel like a winner, but if you only make progress on 3 out of a list of 12, you feel like you haven't done much.

So if you just change your system of setting goals, you will feel and act like a winner.