Setting New Year's Resolutions That Stick

Getting ready to drive Grace Pointe's float
 in the Christmas Parade

Fitness fans, beware. In about one week, you are going to be invaded by throngs of people who think they are fat, who wish to chisel their bodies into something along the lines of Dwayne Johnson or Jillian Michaels. Good luck finding an open treadmill, but expect high turnover on the ellipticals.

I wouldn't worry about it, though. By the end of January, half of the invaders will be gone. Almost all will be gone by the end of February. All will fall victim to the errant "New Year's Resolution."

New Year's Resolutions like, "To lose weight," "To be healthy," or to "advance my career" often sound good at the time, but with no real goal, and no real plan, they are doomed to fail. There's no concise vision, no plan of action, and no measure of success. Faced with un-measurable progress, and no endgame, the average person gives up on their New Year's resolutions before the ice begins to melt in Southern Colorado.

The key to setting New Year's Resolutions that stick, resolutions that you can successfully keep, is to have a vision for the future. Who do you want to be? Where do you want to be? Granted, your vision may take longer than the next calendar year to realize, but having that vision is key to setting benchmarks for the coming year.

Once your vision has been set, then evaluate how much progress you believe you can achieve toward that vision over the coming year. This is your goal.

Finally, devise a plan to reach that goal. Goals without plans are nothing more than wishes.

With those concepts in mind, let's use the ever-so-popular "lose weight" resolution as an example. Bill weighs 300 pounds. The doctor says he has to reach 180 in order to be healthy. Bill is really concerned about his health, and desires to restore his health back to where it should be. Bill has set a vision to lose 120 pounds, and live life as a healthy, muscular 180 pound man. That is his vision.

Bill understands that in order to reach this weight in a way that restores his health, he must be willing to lose the weight in a way that is slow, yet sustained. He realizes he cannot lose 120 pounds in one year. He has the vision, but the 120-pound goal cannot be met in one year. So, Bill sets a goal to lose 70 pounds over the next year. His goal is to weigh in next New Year's at 230 pounds.

Bill has the vision and the goal, but still no plan. Without the plan, he will drift without making any real progress. So, Bill devises the following plan... (1) No fried foods, (2) Don't drink your calories, and (3) walk a mile a day.

So, Bill's New Year's Resolution is to get healthier by losing 70 pounds by cutting out the fried foods and sugary drinks, and by walking a mile a day. If Bill minds the plan, the goal will be reached, and the resolution will have stuck.

This concept can apply to anything, not just weight loss. You can apply this to your career, relationships, and personal enrichment.

Personally, my vision for what my life will be like New Year's Eve 2016 is as follows... I want to influence people to have faith in the Lord, and I want to preach a watch-night service in what will be Grace Pointe's new worship facility. Those are the vision. The goals and the plan... well, they're being developed.

What's your vision for where you want to be a year from now? Would you like to share your goals and plan?