Episode Details

Are New Year's resolutions powerful? Or are they pointless?

Every year more than 50% of people make New Year's resolutions.

They plan to lose weight, quit smoking, work out, save money, get a promotion, get a raise, move their business to the next level, buy that investment property, and more.

And yet, virtually every study tells us that around 80% of New Year's resolutions will get abandoned by this time of the year.

So maybe you didn't keep up that resolution to exercise more or go to the gym, but today in my chat with Mark Creedon, founder and CEO of Business Accelerator Mastermind, we're going to talk about how to make 2022 a great year for you.

Have you lapsed on your New Year's Resolutions?

Whether it's a small, (seemingly) easily achievable goal or a huge, life-changing goal, people tend to fail at the same rate: Approximately 80 percent of people who make New Year's resolutions have dropped them by the second week of February.

Some reasons why your resolutions may have failed.

1. You're treating a marathon like a sprint

Small changes stick better because they aren't intimidating.

2. You're in too much of a hurry

If it was quick and easy, everybody would do it, so it's in your best interest to exercise your patience muscles.

3. 3. You don't believe in yourself

The only way to defeat doubt is to believe in yourself. Who cares if you've failed a time or two? This year, you can try again (but better this time).

4. You don't track your progress

Keeping a written record of your progress will help you sustain an "I CAN do this" attitude.

5. You have no social support

It can be hard to stay motivated when you feel alone. The good news? You're not alone.

6. You know your what but not your why

The biggest reason why most New Year's resolutions fail: you know what you want but not why you want it.

So, here are 9 strategies to rescue those resolutions:

1. You can't achieve new goals or make desired changes without allocating time to do so.

To make this a better year you will have to do things differently from last year.

There are obviously some things you are going to need to keep doing, some new things you will need to do, and a bunch of things you'll have to stop doing to make room for the new, more productive activities.

1. Priorities should govern schedule; schedule shouldn't govern priorities.

To have a better year this year you'll have to wrest control away from others' priorities and be governed by your own priorities.

1. Resolutions aren't resolutions without resolve.

So, don't bother making resolutions to appease or satisfy others. Be honest with yourself – that's a prerequisite for success.

1. Resolutions require resources.

You aren't really serious about a resolution unless you invest in and gather the required resources.

Sometimes investment motivates follow-through since you've spent time, effort, and money on it. But don't be held back by limited resource thinking. If you are truly committed, you'll find the resources.

1. Daily Progress

Refuse to end any day without doing something that moves you toward the goal, no matter how small!

1. Who motivates the motivator?

Any professional sports coach will tell you: measurement automatically improves performance, and measurement monitored by someone else, further improves performance.

1. Build up to change

So, say you resolve to get up an hour earlier every morning to work on some projects. You could start with 15 minutes for two weeks, then 20 minutes for two weeks, then 30 minutes for a month, then 45 minutes for two weeks, and then you will fi