…More or less..

TODAY, MANY of you are beginning 2016 with a pocket full of resolutions. Your lists are full of things you’d like more of, and less of other things (like weight). Here are the top resolutions that most folks make….

Lose Weight and Get Fit
Quit Smoking
Learn Something New
Eat Healthier and Diet
Get Out of Debt and Save Money
Spend More Time with Family
Travel to New Places
Be Less Stressed
Volunteer

If these are your resolutions, you have stumbled upon the surest way to keep every one of your resolutions if you will just follow this one simple step; just keep it for one day. Just one day. If you keep your resolutions, as listed above, you are a success. (as defined by your resolutions, more or less)

Let me show you how this works. If you have a resolution to “save more money”, just save a penny. Put it in a piggy bank, never spend it and you’ve just saved “MORE” money. One penny is more. Was your resolution to “eat less”? Then eat one meal and eat one less fry. You’ve now eaten less!! (sarcasm is difficult to write)

Can I be honest with you? If these are your resolutions, you’re going to fail. Simply because you’ve given yourself goals without meaning. Let me show you, If I asked you to think of “someone”, who comes to your mind? Probably no one, or you vacillated among many. Now, if I ask you to think of your mom, what picture immediately came to your mind?

Specific is terrific

Many of you are setting yourselves up for failure by failing to be specific. There’s no detail, it has no real meaning and therefore, your subconscious mind will never compel you to act upon them, simply because you don’t really know what you want.

You can fix it quickly and easily, add some detail. Build a picture of your resolution / goal with as much detail as possible. As a matter of fact, there’s a very popular acronym to help you build the details around your goal.

S.M.A.R.T.

Your goals should be S.M.A.R.T. Let’s see how this works with the resolution to “save more” or to “lose weight”.

SPECIFIC – You need to change your resolution from “save more” to “I will save 10% of each paycheck and place it into a separate account.” “Lose weight” becomes “I will lose 1 pound every week.” This type of goal is far more likely to be completed than the non-specific, “save more.”

MEASURABLE – You should set up a way to measure your progress. How do you measure “more”? You can, however, measure 10%. You can also measure pounds, whereas it’s impossible to determine what less means. If you overeat by a lot, then eating less means that you overeat by a little.

ACKNOWLEDGED – Your New Year Resolution must be yours. You’ve got to acknowledge to yourself that you WANT to do this. We never, ever follow through with things we hate. You ALWAYS find time and money for the things that you want. Do you doubt me? Look at your wallet or your waist and tell me otherwise.

REALISTIC – Every goal has to be doable. You can set a goal to lose 120 lbs, but it’s not REALISTIC to do it by tomorrow. Neither can you save 100% of your income. Set reasonable, doable goals for you. Some have suggested that to make a major change in your life you’ll be more successful if you change your habits by just 10% and add incrementally until you’ve reached your goal. For example, to save $1,000, begin first by saving $100. This gives you many small wins on your way to your ultimate goal of $1,000.

TIME BOUND – Set a date to do it. Nothing ever gets done until there is a date for it to be finished. Look at people that get ready for vacation, they are some of the most active and productive folks in the office. To lose 50lbs, set a realistic date of July 1^st. That’s about 2lbs per week. Then focus on that 2lbs every single week. It’s far easier to think about losing just 2lbs than it is to lose 50!

I love the New Year. It’s a trigger for many of us to make improvements in our lives. Isn’t that the only real contribution you can make to your world, to improve yourself? Good luck, God Speed and may you keep every one of your New Year Resolutions.

I would be remiss if I failed to tell you about the most important resolution; To follow Christ. “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;” [Ephesians 5:1]. Being true to this article, one way you can state this goal in a S.M.A.R.T. way; Study your bible for 30 minutes, every day, until you’ve read the entire Bible this year.

There are many aspects to becoming a follower of Christ, Jesus Himself said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” [John 14:15] Very specific wouldn’t you say?

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