New Years Resolution Tips For 2009 - By: Rosamunde Bott

New Year is a time when many people make resolutions. However, a large majority of these are broken within a few weeks or months. What is it that makes it so difficult to keep New Years resolutions, and what can you do to make sure that this year will be different? Below I am offering a few New Years resolution tips that will make 2009 the year that you achieve success!

1. Make only one resolution. A big reason why people do not keep their resolutions is because they make too many. If you have several resolutions, you will lose focus and spread yourself too thin. Your efforts will be diluted and it will be too difficult to achieve any of them. By making just one resolution you will be more focussed on that goal and able to put more effort into it.

2. Make sure it's something you feel strongly about. Another reason resolutions fail is due to a feeling that you should do it, not because you'really want to. This produces vague promises that have no power or commitment. Do not make resolutions just because it's fashionable, or to impress your friends, or to make people like you more. These are superficial reasons that will have no emotional power for you. Choose resolutions that mean something personal to you, that you know you truly want.

3. Understand the sacrifices you may need to make. It is not enough to make a resolution and hope it will come true. You have to take action, give something up or re-arrange your schedule. If you cannot make the necessary sacrifices, then perhaps your resolution is not meaningful enough (see Tip 2). The motivation to make the necessary changes comes from seeing that the benefits of achieving your resolution will be greater than the benefits of not changing.

4. Make it specific. Vague goals create vague results. For example, if your goal is to lose weight, work out exactly how much weight you want to lose. If you want to earn more money, set a yearly or monthly income target that works for you. Without this, you will never really know when you have achieved your goal. Set a date for when you would like to achieve it by, write it down, visualise it, draw it and put it where you can see it every day. You will have far more chance of succeeding if you are reminded of your goal every day.

5. Break it up into mini-steps. You need a clear action plan, and to do this you need to split your goal into a series of smaller goals. List all the things you need to do in order to achieve it, and write them out in chronological order. Put these steps into your diary or a calendar. Every time you complete one of these steps you will build your confidence and more motivation to achieve the main goal.

6. Reward yourself. Do not allow each step achieved towards your goal to go by unacknowledged. Decide in advance how you will reward yourself for each step along the way. This will act as a further motivator and will also help you to acknowledge what you have done and give you greater confidence.

7. Gather support. Choose a few highly supportive friends or family members and ask them to support you with your goal. Even better, if they have made new years resolutions, you can support each other. Support can be giving advice, offering practical help, giving encouragement or just holding you to account to make sure you on track. Do not share your goal with anyone who is likely to be negative about it or put you down as this will destroy your confidence.

8. Don't be too hard on yourself. Many people give up because things don't go as planned, or they get behind and lose motivation. If you fall behind schedule or other things get in the way, this does not mean your goal is failing, it just means you need to make a few adjustments to your goal, or re-arrange your schedule to get back on track.

9. Create habits. Get into the habit of working towards your goal by setting at least one or two of your short-term goals to be achieved within the first month or eight weeks of the year. This will get you working towards your goal immediately, and will make sure you have formed a habit for the rest of the year.

By following these New Years resolution tips you will give yourself the best chance of achieving your goal. However, if it goes wrong and you still are having difficulty achieving it, you will need to re-assess. Is the resolution the right one for you? If you still passionately want to achieve it, do not give up. Review your action plan, make some re-adjustments and start again. Never, ever, ever give up on something that you passionately believe in and you truly want to achieve.

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Author Resource : Ros is a career life coach and writer, and also runs her own online business. Ros"s coaching site is at Career and Home Business Coaching(http://www.career-life-coach.com) Find opportunities at her website at Financial Freedom Online(http://www.wealth-city.com)