New Year's Revolutions

Losing weight, exercising more, getting organized and quitting smoking have been some of the more popular New Year's resolutions of the past decade. Now more and more people want to create not only a healthier lifestyle but one that is happier and less harried.

Mitzi Weinman, President of TimeFinder, a management training, coaching and professional speaking company, in Needham, MA, says many of her clients want to work less hours and have more time to spend with family, friends and alone?even if it means making less money or not being on an aggressive job track.

"Even those who scoff at the idea of New Year's resolutions still have deep desires to self-improve as the new year begins," affirms Weinman.

According to Weinman, "Resolutions fail for many reasons but there are several common problems that have to do with the resolution itself rather than the implementation. For example, resolutions are often vague, lacking a clearly stated objective. Resolutions can also be unrealistic ("I want to make my first million!") or too numerous for one person to accomplish in a lifetime let alone a year!"

Weinman suggest to set out with positive conviction and to measure that sincerity by answering the following:

- Is this resolution realistic?
- Do I really want to make it happen?
- Am I willing to work at it over a period of time if necessary?
- Am I willing to re-focus and make adjustments to my current priorities if they are affected by my resolution?

If the answer to these questions is yes then Weinman encourages people to create a written action plan. According to Weinman, "You need a time line for completion (unless it's an on-going process, but you should specify milestones anyway.) It is also important to break the actions into next steps - steps that are definitely doable and not overwhelming."

Weinman has a 5 step plan to accomplishing resolutions and goals.

1. Define your resolution/goal.
2. Break it down.
3. Identify obstacles that may deter and determine what steps you can take to overcome them.
4. Schedule the action steps into your calendar, planner, PDA, etc.
5. Do It!

"Another aid in ensuring success for those who may have trouble staying on track is enlisting help. Who knows, they may need your help with their own resolutions," said Weinman. Weinman adds that using her 5-step plan increases an individual's success of accomplishing even the most elusive of resolutions and goals.