Daily Resolves Tips For The New Year: Want To Keep That New Year Resolution? Treat It Like A Marathon Not a Sprint!

Believe it or not, it is not too early to think about the New Year and 'how to' pursue effective resolutions.  In just 44 days the ball will drop in Times Square.  Where did the year go?  Gone like the speed of light.  Don't let another year pass without giving a long-held dream that is simmering on the backburner your full attention.  Attention that it deserves.  Make 2014 the year that you engaged and got it done! 

How about putting an end to that procrastination habit?  Consider this:  If you move forward with small daily steps toward your dream – one resolution, one day at a time, for one year - you will eventually build strong positive momentum over time.  That is far better than enduring another year of stress and guilt generated by postponing, inactivity and dragging your feet.

In an effort to promote effective resolution making, so that folks can be success stories rather than statistics, I am running my 'Best Of' my columns shared in the decade since I founded I Resolve To . . . in 2005.  If you would like to see the full list of my favorite columns please visit Kim Simpson at Ezine Articles.  To help with your brainstorming, feel free to use the  I Resolve To . . . Work Sheet.  Today's food for thought:

Approach New Year Resolutions Like A Marathon Runner, Not A Sprinter  (Re-Print)

When you make a New Year Resolution, or establish a goal, do you approach the journey as a hare or a tortoise?  As you venture down the road toward your eventual destination, do you sprint, or prefer to run a marathon?  Personally, I am a marathon runner when it comes to my dreams, resolutions and daily goals.  Some gifted folks can sprint to the finish line with incredible, quick results.  I, on the other hand, am happier going the distance one small step at a time, one day at a time, at my own tortoise pace because I finally figured out that "it really is the journey not the destination that truly is important to me". 

I credit my my middle class, Midwest upbringing (and firm, wise parents) to my patience, practicality and willingness to work hard.  That patience, along with persistence and passion have, over the years, enabled me to stick with my dreams long past the time when many would have given up and moved on.  Call me stubborn, but that stick-to-it-ive-ness – i.e. patience -has paid big dividends on my dreams.

In the course of the past five years, as I have studied and tested what 'works and doesn't work' for resolution-making-and-keeping, I have continually circled round to the notion that good, old-fashioned, common sense is enormously helpful.  So much of 'what has worked' for me is simple and straight forward.  No rocket science, or complicated formulas are needed . . . What is necessary is a dream about which you have great passion and a fierce belief that you have what it takes to succeed.

Here are 10 Common Sense Tips, that can lead to success with dreams, resolutions and daily goals:

1. Dare To Dream:  Open your mind to the endless possibilities.  Introspection and research can pay huge dividends:  Discover and contemplate the 'who, what, when, where, why, and how' of your dream at the outset; then keep your plans simple and realistic, focus on just one life-altering dream at a time.
2. Decide:  When you reach the 'A-HA' moment, that fabulous point in time when you know what you must do, make a firm decision to 'go for it' with everything you've got.  No slacking, or quitting is allowed.
3. Define:  In one concise sentence specify what you intend to achieve, how you intend to get to the finish line, and why you're entering the race.
4. Develop A Plan:  Dreams are huge and overwhelming.  A well thought out 'written plan' with clear-cut, simple steps, deadlines and a timeline will enable you to proceed methodically, with confidence because you have a system – a process, a game plan that will take you from start to finish.
5. Do It Daily:  Take one small step at a time, one day at a time, for one year.  Make your passions 'Lifetime Resolutions' that are with you for good, not just something that you do and cross off the list!
6. Don't Procrastinate:  Just show up and do something every single day, especially the days when you are the least motivated. Those days are big hurdles.  Each hurdle that you cross takes you closer to your destination – and that day's work could turn out to be your best ever!
7. Don't Give In To Fear:  Fear and doubt are 'dream-killers' because they cloud your good judgment and rob you of optimism and positive thoughts.  Give fear and doubt the boot by 'getting busy' and producing fresh results and a new-found sense of accomplishment every single day.
8. Don't Get Discouraged:  Progress can be painfully slow and obstacles more plentiful than victories.  Carefully track tasks and milestones, in writing, so you can celebrate your wins and take credit for crossing hurdles one-by-one.
9. Don't Grow Bored:  Revamp and revise your plan frequently, injecting new life into each juncture of the journey.  Have some fun!
10. Don't Give Up:  Patience, passion, persistence, and perseverance will see you through.  You may have to 'start over' many, many times, but a key to success is being willing and committed to 'start over' as many times, as are necessary.

Remember: I Resolve To . . . Achieve My New Year Resolutions, One Resolution, One Day At A Time For One Year.® It's your choice. Do it today. Turn your resolution into reality in five simple, common sense steps: Dare To Dream, Decide, Define, Develop A Plan, and Do It Daily.  Make your resolution a permanent Lifetime Resolution, something that's with you for good! Above all, Be A Resolutionista, someone who makes resolutions, keeps resolutions, and enjoys the journey! Let's Go For It!

Need More Inspiration? Wear Your Resolution By Visiting The I Resolve To . . . Shop At CafePress: IResolve To . . . Resolutionista Gear And By Joining The Official I Resolve To . . . Group At Gather.Com. Get going on your 2014 New Year Resolutions with the I Resolve To . . . Work Sheet. View my 2009-2014 Health & Happiness Tapestry by clicking through Daily Resolve Photo-Resolutions.

Kim M. Simpson – November 18, 2013 Copyright © I Resolve To® . . . Inc. * All Rights Reserved