Top 5 New Year’s Resolutions for Women During 2010
Do I want to have it all?
Every New Year, women start with the highest of hopes and the best of intentions to transform ourselves and our lives. We believe that the fresh start of a new calendar will be the secret ingredient we need to help us start living the life and lifestyle of our dreams. You scribble down a wish list of goals, objectives and resolutions that you hope will magically transform everything for you. Or, perhaps you belong to the other school of thought that has officially said “bah humbug!” and giving up on resolutions all together. Because you know that in the past they’ve never worked for you.
Having been on both sides of this debate over the years I will admit that I’m back in the game, on Team Resolution! However, this year I’ve learned from what didn’t work in the past and modified my approach. Listed below are the Top 5 goals that women have indicated are important to them during 2010. Do any of these sound familiar? Did these make your list?
- Lose Weight/ Get in Shape
- Spend More Time with Family/ Improve Marriage
- Career Advancement/ Get a Raise
- Get & Stay Organized
- Get out of Debt
I’ll admit that more than half of these are on my list, along with a laundry list of others that support them. I’ve set specific goals for each of the following areas: health, relationships, money, spirituality and self. As I mentioned, this year I’m using a different strategy to achieve my goals and track my progress. It’s really pretty simple.
First, assess where you started, using a clearly defined measurement system. This will be very important as you go through the year. If you’re like most of us mere mortals you’ll have ups and downs, success and setbacks. If you have not used an objective method to measure your starting point and successive results, you are likely to underestimate your overall progress when you go through a “down cycle.” We don’t want that!
Second, break down the goal into smaller time frames; for example, quarterly or monthly. The mistake I’ve made in the past was to only set an annual goal, and then being the recovering procrastinator and perfectionist that I am wait until November or December to try to complete everything on my list! I’m sure that no one else has fallen into that pattern, and I’m the only one. But, just in case you can relate, I now recommend “chunking” your goal into bite sized morsels! They are much tastier that way, rather than bingeing at the buffet line like this is your last meal.
Finally, revisit your goals throughout the year to see if they are still relevant to you right now. You may have changed and your life may have evolved to the point that what used to be very important to you is now irrelevant. If so, cut yourself some slack and cross it off of your list. Ah, what a feeling!
So, despite which side of the matter you find yourself. You may let yourself get caught up in the hype of the New Year’s season and declare your life altering resolutions. Or, you may be more rational about it and merely set performance goals and objectives. Either way, these simple steps will help you to achieve the results you desire with minimal stress and maximum reward.
Universal Possibilities Challenge: Set at least one goal for each of the following areas of your life: Health, Relationships, Money, Spirituality and Self. Make a commitment to yourself. And, strive to accomplish these goals within 3 months.
Leave a Comment January 14, 2010
