“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
I’m not much into New Year’s resolutions. I learned a long time ago, they are rarely kept and that if I really want to do something the best time is to start right then instead of waiting around for the new year to happen. Or pick the best date to start that will make me more likely to succeed.
There’s nothing wrong with setting up resolutions or goals for yourself, it’s just that many people’s are either so big or vague they are hard to keep. So instead of setting myself up for failure at the beginning of each year and then beating myself up when I don’t keep them, I make my goals when the idea for a change happens.
I find that writing the goal down, then breaking it into manageable pieces also helps for me to make goals that I’ll actually keep. So instead of saying “I want to lose weight this year”, I say “I’m going to lose 2 pounds a month this year.” I mean who really thinks a half a pound a week is all that much and I might lose more but it’s a goal that is realistic and then if I have a week where I slip, I’m not so hard on myself.
It takes the minimum of a month to change a habit and instill a new one. Gaining the support of family and friends is also a great way to help me stay motivated in setting those new habits. I also found that tracking the results works for helping to stay motivated towards working on my goal. We live in a society that has come to demand everything now, which is also a reason that most people don’t succeed in their resolutions. They become disenchanted when the results don’t happen soon.
So while I don’t make New Year’s resolutions for myself, I do work to set good goals and keep them. And while I giggle at the idea of me making New Year’s resolutions, I sincerely wish those who make them, plenty of luck with keeping their promises.
Please feel free to share any of your thoughts or suggestions for helping to set and keep good goals.
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I like your line of thinking,
but I don’t have any useful ideas as I try not to set myself goals. 
I bet you set more goals then you realize for yourself
Goals are what keep us moving forward, especially when working on 3 stories. Wow, congratulations on that and good luck on getting them all finished.
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