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Resolution Makeover: 5 Things To Consider When Setting This Year’s Goals

Thought is the sculptor who can create the person you want to be. - Henry David Thoreau

Editor’s note: This excellent guest post from Lynn Truong of Wise Bread and Parenting Squad was supposed to run last week. It’s a bit late to be setting New Year’s resolutions, but this advice applies to any goal-setting, and anyway, it’s never too late to change your resolutions!

Typical resolutions consist of activities that require some teeth-pulling. Exercise more. Eat better. Stop smoking. These are things we don’t really want to do. These are the resolutions we make and break every year, minutes after writing them down. Instead, we should make resolutions for things we want to do. Make resolutions to do things that you didn’t do enough of or didn’t get to last year. Have you been delaying a trip to Europe? Do you want to spend more time with your family and friends? Make resolutions for things that will make you happy, and you’ll be more motivated to commit to them.

There are five basic things to consider when deciding on your resolutions:

Time
Reflect on what you’re doing with your time, and ask yourself whether things need to be readjusted. Make time to do the things that you really want to do—spend time with your loved ones, make a phone call instead of sending a quick birthday wish in an email, write, read, take a bubble bath. There’ll never be enough time to do everything, but there’ll always enough time to do what’s really important (yes, a bubble bath is important!).

Money
Like time, the inability to manage money is often due to perspective. If you value saving more than spending, you will save more and spend less. Decide what you really want to use your money for. Instead of making the resolution simply to “spend less,” “save more,” or “pay credit cards down,” make a specific goal. Set a goal of x amount of dollars to go on that trip. Know exactly how much you are trying to save each month (realistically!), rather than making an arbitrary end of the year amount or vague statement of where you want your finances to be eventually. It’s easier to put off saving until tomorrow when you don’t have a specific number you are working towards.

Work
Consider the direction of your career. Since you spend most of your day working, you better be doing something you like. Is this what you really want to do? Will this particular job lead you to where you want to be? Don’t get stuck in a place that doesn’t satisfy your aspirations for yourself. Resolve to take your career into your own hands, no matter how scary it might seem.

Connections
Having supportive and fulfilling relationships will do more for your well being than any kind of “success” in your career or money in your bank account. Resolve to spend more time with the people you love and who love you, give freely, offer help, and be gracious.

Health
Your health will be what allows you to pursue any of the things mentioned above. If you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, low energy, or any other ailments, then eating better and getting more exercise has to be a priority. Don’t resolve to stop smoking because you’re “supposed” to. Do it because you value your health and understand that your well being is important to those you love.

I hope your 2008 resolutions will be a list of things that make you very happy. Have fun doing them!

Lynn Truong writes for Wise Bread, one of my favorite personal finance blogs, and the new blog, Parenting Squad.

If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us or on Digg. I’d appreciate it. :)

Resolution Makeover: 5 Things To Consider When Setting This Year’s Goals

Thought is the sculptor who can create the person you want to be. - Henry David Thoreau

Editor’s note: This excellent guest post from Lynn Truong of Wise Bread and Parenting Squad was supposed to run last week. It’s a bit late to be setting New Year’s resolutions, but this advice applies to any goal-setting, and anyway, it’s never too late to change your resolutions!

There are five basic things to consider when deciding on your resolutions:

I hope your 2008 resolutions will be a list of things that make you very happy. Have fun doing them!

Lynn Truong writes for Wise Bread, one of my favorite personal finance blogs, and the new blog, Parenting Squad.

If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us or on Digg. I’d appreciate it. :)

Posted on 8 January 2008 in Goals |
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Comments (14)

Bamboo Forest Says:

January 8th, 2008, 20:57 pm

I agree that success in terms of healthy connections is superior to one’s career.

Cosette Rae Says:

January 8th, 2008, 21:04 pm

As a life coach and wellness counselor (www.lifecoachbynature.com), I ditto the statement that wellbeing improves when a person feels supported by family and friends. In fact, many types of mental health issues fair better when people feel valued and encouraged. Developing healthy relationships may be the key to whether you make it through a future crisis with a few bumps and bruises, or end up suffering with increased emotional and physcial health concerns as a result.

Martina Scholtens Says:

January 8th, 2008, 23:22 pm

Every year my husband and I pick a theme (e.g. self-discipline, completing unfinished business, productivity) and work to apply it to every aspect of our lives: financial, work, family, spiritual, health.

It’s a general, positive form of a resolution rather than an attempt to quit a bad habit cold turkey, which is doomed to fail.

Our friends love to make fun of us for it, but it’s worked well for us. And every year everyone wants to know what the new theme word is.

Tina Su - Think Simple Now Says:

January 8th, 2008, 23:27 pm

More than anything, I’ve found it to be incredibly valuable to have a clear vision of your end result before setting any goals. Sometimes, if we are just setting goals for the purpose of setting & achieving goals, we miss the point, since it’s on a micro scale.

Start with a clear picture of what you want in a longer term (say 5 years) in all areas of your life. Make it concrete and measurable. And then work backwards from there by setting goals that will help you reach your vision. If you’re vision is 5 years out, specify where you need to be in 2 years, and 1 year…then where you need to be in 6 months and 1 months. From here, you can start with listing out action items you can take now and the next week to reach that 1 month goal.

I’ve also found it to be important to write your goals down on paper, dated, written in present tense (as it you’ve already achieved the goal).

Eugene (Editor, Varsity Blah) Says:

January 8th, 2008, 23:47 pm

I agree with Tina. My approach is to also find reasons first and methods second. Anthony Robbins often talks about “why” coming before “how”.

I wrote about it recently in terms of my health: “My reasons for living a healthy lifestyle are simple. I want to look as good on the outside as I feel on the inside. Keeping that in mind is the reason I’m able to exercise regularly, even on days I’d much rather stay cuddled up in bed. It’s also the reason I’m able to avoid all those tempting chocolate bars at the supermarket checkout, as much as is humanly possible!”

(Extract from “Work in Progress”)

Leo Says:

January 9th, 2008, 0:23 am

Cant get over with new year resolutions YET ?? Still, it gets 42 diggs ??…lukin forward for more diverse posts

Miss Gisele from myBeautyMatch.com Says:

January 9th, 2008, 1:33 am

Wow Leo! It’s as if we were having one-on-one email or telephone conversations.

My entire 2007 was about learning about connections :-(

When you say “Having supportive and fulfilling relationships will do more for your well being than any kind of “success” in your career or money in your bank account. “…I could not agree more.

I had a really eye opening 2007 in that department and let me tell you it was NOT a pleasant year for me at all. That said, for 2008 (an beyond) I’ve decided to be very careful about my connections, contacts, relationships and friends.

Great post!

Gisele

Kenneth - Guy From Personal Development Blog Says:

January 9th, 2008, 1:40 am

I’ve been a member of Wisebread and has been a faithful reader for quiet some time. It’s one of my favorite personal finance blog.

Oh.. about my 2008 year. It’s my financial freedom year.. gotta work it out.

metroknow Says:

January 9th, 2008, 2:02 am

Thanks for the suggestions - I don’t particularly subscribe to New Year’s resolutions (for me they are more a source of frustration than motivation), I am working on a few personal development goals for this year, with the biggest emphasis being health.

Actually, improving my health via better diet, getting up earlier for mental health, and regular exercise, are all thanks to your blog Leo. Thank you very much!

Also, thanks for the link to Parenting Squad - its now on my list of regular reads.

Never the Same River Twice Says:

January 9th, 2008, 13:31 pm

I’ve given up New Year’s Resolutions as my resolution for this year!

Seriously, resolutions rarely work. Instead, I advocate choosing using a Compass, Not a Map (props to Stephen Shapiro for the concept) and setting a direction for your future. This gives you a lot more flexibility in taking advantage of situations as they come up, rather than rigidly sticking to a “goal” whether it fits anymore or not.

Dimitar Nikolov Says:

January 9th, 2008, 14:07 pm

Hey there, Leo,

Congratulations on a great article once again. I have a great saying about setting goals and accomplishing them - Think about actions, act with thought. Setting goals is most effective when defining needed actions for their successful accomplishment.

With regards,
Dimitar Nikolov

I definitely think that your frame of mind Says:

January 9th, 2008, 15:57 pm

has a lot to do with successful resolutions. Practicing yoga has revolutionized the way that I go about achieving goals, especially ones concerning fitness. Thanks for the post.

Suzie Cheel Says:

January 9th, 2008, 16:39 pm

Lots of food for thought here. I made mine before 2008 started and realised i had left out the why, so I now have one bid hairy goal that i am breaking down into chunks.
Thanks Tinu

Discobedient Says:

January 9th, 2008, 17:36 pm

In the spirit of Zen I am not trying to achieve anything as a) my existence is an illusion b) any improvement will lead to entirely new disappointment.Live by the day, appreciate what you have and what comes on your path by pure chance. 5 year goals? If only life was that predictable.