92% of people do NOT cross the finish line on their New Year’s resolutions… Will you?
So…
It’s been all of a week.
Have you screwed up yet?
Have you failed at your New Year’s Resolution to lose weight, exercise more, eat healthy food, manage your debt, drink less booze, save more money, spend less, make more… Whatever… ?
And if you haven’t totally screwed up yet, has your resolve been tested? Do you feel your will breaking under the power of lack of motivation and inertia?
According to an article I found in Forbes, just 8% of people who make New Year’s Resolutions actually achieve them.
That means there’s a 92% failure rate.
Now in a moment, I’m going to share with you some suggestions on how to make it more likely that whatever your goal is, you’ll reach it.
But first…
I want to tackle the idea of a “resolution” head-on.
As a writer, I think a lot about the words I use.
I’m not always perfect. (Nobody is, and with the speed I write these articles, I sometimes even let “know better” mistakes slip.) But when it comes to big, important words, I like to be very intentional about which words I’m using.
Resolution bugs me.
Here’s why. Resolution is a very “final” word. Unflinching.
To reach a resolution, in music, is to reach the end. To resolve something in math is the same — to find the solution.
The use of this word sets you up for failed expectations.
If on January 1st, you make a resolution to eat better…
And then you, for example, sit down to watch next week’s college football championship game (go Ducks!)… And are presented with a smorgasbord of delicious and unhealthy food options… And you choose to have some — against what your New Year’s Resolution would suggest…
Well, you’ve failed at your resolution.
Resolution is a tightrope word. If you waver, you fall. And you’re done.
Instead, I prefer a New Year’s Intention.
Resolution is a final result. It will fail or it will not. Intention is a direction you go.
While resolution is focused on the end, intention is focused on the start. And at the point you’re at on New Year’s Day or Today, January 8th, you’re at the start.
And so you should be focused on your intention.
Breaking down the history of the word intention, you’ll find it’s very different. While resolution has the same root as solution, intention and tendon come from the same Latin root. And what meaning do they have? To stretch.
A tendon should not stretch much in itself, but it is what keeps you together while you stretch. And while a tendon can do that physically, I believe your intentions do that within your mind.
The other meaning, aside from “stretch” that’s carried through into intention is the focusing of attention. And this is also very important when it comes to what you want to achieve over the next year.
And so, if you choose to have a New Year’s Intention…
It should be a stretch from where you are now, and it should be something you focus on throughout the year. That informs quite a bit.
Going back to that snack you’re going to have during the college football championships next Monday (again, go Ducks!)… While your “resolution” may have broken, an “intention” allows you to forgive yourself and refocus.
This may seem like semantics, but the idea underneath is important.
There is no straight path between where you are and where you want to go. You’ll zig. You’ll zag. You’ll take one step forward, and two steps back. Without the ability to forgive yourself and refocus, you will beat yourself up before you ever reach your destination.
There’s a reason my opening line about screwing up your New Year’s Resolution is a little funny, and a little painful. Because we’ve all been there. And when we “break” our resolution, we give up. An intention doesn’t break. It’s interfered with. It’s interrupted. But it’s not broken. It’s up to you to change your intention, or to give it up. But it can remain with you through the downs and the ups.
And so if you want to be more successful going where you want to be this year, I recommend you ditch your New Year’s Resolution, and instead make it an intention.
Do whatever you must to hold it in your focus throughout the year. And see where that gets you.
Some more ideas to help you achieve everything you want this year…
1. The fewer intentions you make for yourself, the better. You’re going to be way happier becoming wildly successful with one thing, than having moderate improvements in many. And if you go for wild success in every area of your life, you’re sure to come up short. Nobody can do it. Neither can you. How about focusing your intention on the one or two things that will make the biggest impact in your life? Get those to where you want them to be, and then focus on something else.
2. Make it measurable. How will you know when you’re being successful? Answer that, with details. Use those details as the measuring stick as to whether you’re fulfilling your intentions or not.
3. Make it a part of your life. Write it on a piece of paper, and stick it in your pocket. Put it on a Post-It on your mirror. Include it in your Facebook profile picture. Set up a weekly email reminder through Google Calendar to remind you of your intention. Make a vision board. Whatever you do, do something to keep your attention on your intention all year long.
4. Make it achievable. Maybe you could become a billionaire, but if you’re making less than six figures today, don’t count on it this year. Increasing your income 50% or more? Maybe. Adding an extra $1,000 in income every month from an internet-based business? Absolutely. Success reinforces intention, and allows you to keep stretching.
5. Don’t stop believin’. With a hat tip to Journey on this one… You have to believe you’re going to achieve it, or you’ll give up. This goes back to my first point on resolutions versus intentions. Resolutions reinforce the idea of failure. Intentions reinforce the idea of perseverance. You’ll be surprised how far you can run as long as you believe you’ve got another step in you. The moment you decide you don’t have another, you’re done…
With all this in mind…
Here’s my #1 New Year’s Intention…
To generate enough product/scalable/leveraged income every month to at least cover my bills…
I have no trouble making money with my copywriting and consulting. But the bane of that existence is that it relies on me to show up every day. It’s also a fickle income source, considering if something happens to me (even a bad illness), it reduces my income.
So my intention and a large part of my focus this year will be on developing income streams from products in one form or another — probably, for the most part, published products through Breakthrough Marketing Secrets and other ventures.
These aren’t quite passive — I plan to do the marketing, and run the business, and I’ll have to do a lot of content creation. But they’re certainly more scalable and leveraged than the standard copywriting gig — even with royalties.
My minimum threshold is to cover my monthly expenses and then some. It’s not that high of a goal — and definitely achievable. If I hit it in 3 months, great. If it takes me 12, that’s okay, too. I’m just making it my intention — a stretch from where I’m at now that I’m focusing my attention on.
What about you?
Post in the comments and let me know what your intentions are for 2015.
Yours for bigger breakthroughs,
Roy Furr
Editor, Breakthrough Marketing Secrets
