Committing to Your Resolve

By Nick Burkholders

It’s about six weeks into 2010, the point at which 60% of new years’ resolutions have been broken. Although business initiatives may run longer, their track record is similar–some estimate 60% are dropped within six to nine months.

There is lots of good advice on how to stick to resolutions and goals, and it helps to recognize the phases associated with such change.

1. Personal resolutions are invariably good for us: losing weight, running a marathon, learning Japanese or spending more time with family. Business initiatives start with a concept or idea. Unless they’re embraced as our own idea or will be directly rewarded, initiatives at work tend not to be as compelling.
2. We have second thoughts and doubt. Reluctance swells when you realize you’re going to have to change, to do something you haven’t been doing. At work you usually commiserate on the downside and bring up previous initiatives of which only a few of those involved remain.
3. One way or another, conscious or not, pushed or pulled, personal or work related, you’ve started.
4. Doing motivates you. You question why you didn’t start sooner and vow to never quit. The first indications of success at work convert you and you preach the benefits to everyone.
5. Then you get blindsided. After losing six pounds a family member asks if you’ve gained weight. The new initiative at work is slammed by someone influential.
6. Significant conviction and or momentum continue the personal initiative. At work, significant promise and or the commitment or a strong leader are essential at this make or break stage.
7. Now it’s habit forming. You find yourself consciously thinking – planning to make sure you continue.
8. Your knee jerk response is to resist any questions or criticisms associated with the resolution or initiative.
9. It’s automatic, integrated into your personal or work life. The resolution or initiative is self sustaining. You don’t think about it, you just do it.
10. You are comfortable responding to questioning and criticisms.

Being aware of these phases and gracefully moving through them will help you to achieve all resolutions or initiatives you believe in. Clear personal values and work objectives enable you to establish resolutions and initiatives that are right for you. 

Everything that’s important to you is worth trying again and again. No matter what time of the year.