With a new year comes new resolutions. Are you thinking of one or two? I am.

I think of resolutions as goals. And the Wikipedia definition of a New Year’s Resolution is pretty much described as a personal goal. That’s dandy except that resolutions are notorious for being broken as quickly as they’re made. Why?

Well, my theory is that too many resolutions are made at once. And that while the personal desire to change exists when we declare a resolution, many of the other supporting pieces that are needed to achieve success are not in place.

Some things to think about that apply both to goals and resolutions:

1. What’s the desired outcome? Looking at the big picture, how will you know you’ve succeeded?

2. Why this goal/resolution? Why is this important to you right now, this coming year? If you can’t answer these questions with a convincing argument, don’t bother with the resolution.

3. Use the SMART goals acronym.

SMART is used when setting goals because good goals have the following characteristics –

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Timely

4. Do you have the right support? Goals are achieved when supported. Same goes for resolutions. Do you have the time or will you make the time to succeed? Are the folks around you supportive? Do you have the resources to accomplish your goal/resolution? And if not, can you find the resources?

I’m off to think about my resolution for the year.

Happy New Year!