We are knocking on the door of a brand new year which means many people are thinking about New Year’s resolutions. “New Year, New Me!” is the rallying cry of many people vowing to start good habits and ditch old bad habits.
 
Even so, most people know that the percentage of people who actually accomplish New Year’s resolutions is very small. Forbes estimates that less than 25% of the population are still committed to their resolutions after 30 days. Think that’s bad? Only 8% actually end up accomplishing their goals! 
 
This year, instead of “New Year, New Me” we’re offering you 5 ways to think about the upcoming new year that might help increase the odds of you actually moving the needle on those things you deem important for yourself.
 
 
5 Ideas to Try In Place Of “New Year, New Me”
 

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Decide What You Want

This may sound simple enough but there is a catch. Think about what you want, but also think about the price you’ll have to pay to have it.  Are you willing to pay that price?
For example, for the longest time, I wanted to be a professional musician. If I’m honest, I’d say I have some mediocre raw talent that could probably be raised a couple of notches by consistent practice.
At one time, I was willing to pay the price of daily practice and total commitment to my instrument.  In fact, I even received my BA in Music and toured with a band for a while.
However, as time went on, I found that being a professional musician was no longer a goal. I wasn’t willing to pay the price and that’s okay. Everyone’s goals change as time goes on.
One common goal of many at the start of each new year involves diet and exercise. If increasing your exercise and improving your diet are among your goals, think about what you’re really willing to commit to. So many times we set ourselves up for failure with “all or nothing” thinking. Be real with yourself!
 

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Try Not to Think In Terms of “Resolutions” or “Goals.” Think “Systems” Instead!

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard with respect to goals came from Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams:
“Goal-oriented people exist in a state of continuous pre-success failure at best, and permanent failure at worst if things never work out. Systems people succeed every time they apply their systems, in the sense that they did what they intended to do.”
I was blown away by this idea when I heard it because it made so much sense!
 

 
 A great personal example of a successful system we established this year involves exercise. Larissa is NOT a fan of exercise and quit the YMCA after several months of basically donating her dues.
Rather than spend any more money on a gym membership she wasn’t going to use, we decided to start walking the dogs at our local duck pond prior to dropping off shipments from our vintage store at the post office.
This system has enabled Larissa to start walking at least 5 days a week!
 

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Find a Support Group

Whether in person or online, setting yourself up with a group of people who “get you” will be CRITICAL to helping you succeed.
If your goal is to run a marathon this year, surround yourself with other runners. Not only can you train together, hanging out with people who share your goals will motivate you and help you stay on track.
One year, I decided that I really needed to improve my health. I signed up with a personal trainer and stopped hanging out with the “happy hour gang” every week.