Last time I discussed the notion that most people who make New Year's Resolutions fail. Dr. John Norcross of the University of Scranton did a study that revealed how few people that make resolutions actually follow though on them.
If you missed my last blog post, you can go here to find Dr. Norcross' work: http://www.changeologybook.com/dr-john-norcross/
You may be curious as to why I say you can achieve success in 2016 with eight letters when it's obvious it only takes seven letters to spell success. It's just like the cheerleaders said back in the day:
S-U-C-C-E-S-S..!!! That's the way we spell SUCCESS..!!!
And you know, they're right. That is how you spell success. But that's not what you must do to achieve success. It's much simpler than that. Not easy, I admit, but simple. And as Les Brown likes to say, "It's possible."
I see people failing to keep New Year's Resolutions for the following reasons...
First, they are resolutions. Resolutions are based on intention, not determination. Resolutions are just something people would like to see happen. For many, "it would be nice" if it happened for them, but they're not committed to making it happen. It's not something they like to do. It may not even be something they want to do.
Their resolution is something they'd rather have someone do for them instead of having to do it themselves because it would be so much easier (and so much LAZIER) for someone to handle all the details for them, i.e., have others roll up their sleeves and do all the dirty work so they can bask in the results.
And second, this is where the rubber meets the road, folks... whatever you plan, resolution or not, will not happen for you until it becomes this first:
P-R-I-O-R-I-T-Y
Did you count the letters? Did they add up to eight? Good. Then congratulations! You just learned how to spell success with eight letters! This is how PRIORITY is defined (from www.m-w.com:)
something that is more important than other things and needs to be done or dealt with first; something that someone cares about and thinks is important; something given or meriting attention before competing alternatives
Point blank, people don't keep New Year's Resolutions, or any other kind of commitments, because those emotional decisions aren't backed up by action. And those decisions aren't backed up by action because they really aren't that important at all.
Don't believe me? Have you ever worked on something important to you, only to hear comments like this from people who didn't share your passion for success..?
It don't take all that!
I don't see myself doing what you do!
I can't understand why you have to work so hard. Why don't you just take it easy? You're killing yourself for no good reason!
It's not going to do you any good. You're just wasting your time!
Such comments (and many others) remind me of what Eric Thomas, PhD likes to say often:
"Everybody wants to be a BEAST...until it's time to do what beasts do..!"
Everybody wants to reap the reward, but nobody wants to do the work, or so it seems. As the old saying goes, "Everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die."
Simply put, no matter what you say you want to do, if you don't make it a priority in your life, it's not going to get done. PERIOD! End of story.
It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of what you want to achieve. Most likely they won't understand what you're doing anyway. And they really don't have to. Best of all, you don't owe them an explanation. It's not their dream, it's not their resolution. It's not their plan. It's YOURS.
So I'm not going to tell you to make a resolution for New Year's or not to make a resolution. That's your choice to make, not mine. What I will tell you is this:
If you do want to make a New Year's Resolution for 2016, fine. Go for it. But don't stop there. Make a plan. Work your plan. Stick with your plan.
Keep working your plan when it doesn't make sense to others. Keep working your plan when it doesn't make sense to YOU.
And when life happens to you, as it will happen to us all, instead of letting it get in your way, determine that what you want to achieve in 2016 is still a priority for you.
Don't be dissuaded, discouraged or distracted by those who don't share your vision, who don't think what you are doing is all that important. What you're doing might not be for them anyway, so what they have to say about it really doesn't matter.
It is true that what you want to do might not be easy. It is true that what you're doing may not be easy for anyone else to understand. It may even be true that people in your midst may not think what you seek to achieve is even necessary...
But it's a good bet that someone you don't know yet does think so. It's a good bet that you are the answer to someone's prayers, that what you have to offer is exactly what they need.
You might not know it, but they do. So keep going. Keep working. Keep believing that what you have to offer is important to someone, even if it's someone you don't yet know.
If you can do that, you may learn that 2016 will be a better year for you than you could have ever dreamed possible.
And if you can keep going when things "get too hard," you may learn the truth that Tom Hanks' character shared with Geena Davis' character in the movie A League of Their Own...
Whatever you plan to achieve in 2016, keep this in mind, and make it a great New Year next year, and every year going forward...
"To Infinity...and beyond..!!" - Buzz Lightyear
That's all for now, gotta run. Until next time...or next year...
Keep it simple... See ya!
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