Resolve to be a 10%’er
Did you make those New Years’ resolutions?
How are those resolutions coming on?
Research shows that most resolutions are actually broken by the 2nd Friday of the year.
This year “Quitters Day” is the 11th January!
If you’ve met me, you’ll know I’m a bit of a British nerd! I love numbers and stats.
Here are some New Years’ resolution stats for you to consider:
- 53% of people have a money related goal (specifically to earn or save more money)
- 45% want to have better health including losing weight.
- 24% want to travel more.
- 23% want to read more books
- 22% want to learn a new skill
- If you bundle relationships, sex and finding love, that’s another 40%+
Here’s the spoiler though according to statisticbrain.com
90.8% of all resolutions made will be broken or fail
In other words, less than 1 in 10 will be successful. Yet in 12 months time, they’ll dust themselves off and do it all again.
As you look to the year ahead for your business, will you be going through the motions or will you be making the necessary changes?
Here’s a quick checklist of things you can do to keep yourself on track and sticking to your resolutions.
Avoid overwhelm
While I am all for setting big goals, be careful how many you set for yourself. If you feel overwhelmed, you are likely to give up early. Instead focus on a few well-chosen goals that are going to set you up for success.
Commit!
When you have selected your goals for the year ahead, it’s time to commit. Make sure you write those goals down. It’s a simple step but something that helps keep things real. It’s amazing how fuzzy specifics can get after a few weeks or months and you could end up selling yourself short.Consider also making your goals known to those that will be supportive. Whether you choose a conversation or post it on social media, that extra accountability can really help you maintain your focus.
Buddy Up
As you saw in the stats, gym goers increased their chances of success by 22% when they go with a buddy. That’s another form of accountability. I certainly remember when I have agreed to meet someone at the gym at 630 am I’m much more likely to turn up if someone is meeting me as I don’t want to let them down either!
Bounce don’t break!
Whether you signed up to dry January and are giving up alcohol for the month or committed to losing 10lbs before the end of the month you are going to hit a few bumps in the road. Too many people “fall off the wagon” and use this as an excuse to abandon the whole thing. Don’t fall in to that trap. Look for the gold. Yes, you veered off course but if you managed 10 good days and 1 bad, then get back on track and avoid a total write off. Bounce don’t break
Celebrate your wins and you’ll find sticking to those resolutions becomes a lot easier.
Lee Kenny
Managing Director at The Snowflake Media Group, a sales and marketing consultancy for business, based in Halifax but serving clients regionally, nationally and internationally.