There, I said it! Every year, tons of people make New Year’s Resolutions and a few weeks later… serious guilt sets in because those great intentions have turned to dust. So, not only do those great plans fall by the wayside… but there’s a whole new set of “bad feelings” around what you wanted to accomplish. How is that helpful to get you where you want to go…?

Sometimes, you don’t have enough “motivation” in the beginning to make those dreams and plans stick so you have to change them into different kinds of resolutions…

From New Year’s to Everyday.

Instead of making a once a year decision, the most effective and long-lasting way to make great changes is to make everyday decisions, or what we call “Everyday Resolutions”. 

Here are 5 tips to help you create your Everyday Resolutions (that get results!):

1. Nightly List. Instead of your giant resolution, each night before sleep, list out the 3 top things you will get done towards that goal. If your resolution is about your business, also list out 3 things to delegate. An  example, if the New Year’s resolution was to lost 40 pounds, each night you can write:

• Eat 6 small meals 3 hours apart. (You can even write what those meals will be)
• Burn 500 calories doing cardio.
• Drink enough water.

When you do this, you have created a road-map for the next day to be a success. When you create this type of habit (whether about health, finances, relationship or spirit), you are taking baby-steps each day towards making real, lasting change. When you begin to see the results, your motivation and desire to continue “winning each day” turns into the inspiration you need to make your dreams real. Jeff has lost 45 pounds over the last 10 months using the Everyday Resolutions method, cut his blood pressure medication in half (and the doctor is now talking about getting him completely off it).

2. Get a Coach. To continue Jeff’s health success, a few months ago, we hired a personal trainer who has been putting us to the test 3 times a week. The reason a coach is so effective is because they push you further than you believe you can go. They see more for you than you can see for yourself, and it makes you believe and push further, too.

Sometimes we hate Daniel, our coach. Because getting out of your comfort zone and pushing yourself further sometimes feels impossible (and even cruel), but when you finish and see the results, it’s all worth it. And then we love him again!

Right now, these are the coaches we have in our life to keep us accountable and pushing further than we thought possible:

• Physical – for cardio & weight training
• Financial
• Business
• Spiritual
• Blended family

We both never thought we’d have so many coaches, but having them in our life pushes us and makes us better in these areas. If you can’t afford one-on-one help in these areas (for now), pick up some books from people you respect and follow the plans given within. If you need more help, find someone in your life (a friend, family member) to share the journey.

3. Positive Reminders. Be sure to create an environment that will support your Everyday Resolutions. Put things around your office that remind you of success and your dreams. Create a vision board and enjoy it on a regular basis. You can even do thing that seem silly, cutting your photo out and pasting it into different scenes of the life you’re creating.

Jeff had a goal of getting a few great clients he could write and market articles for. One of them was Dan Kennedy, the highest paid copywriter in the world. I created a faux “check from Dan” for his services and placed it in Jeff’s office as a reminder of what he wanted. A few months later, Dan hired him and we received the first real “check from Dan”, a copy of which is hanging in Jeff’s office! (of course, there was action involved, it wasn’t just “thinking” about it that made it happen – BUT the reminder kept Jeff aware and moving toward that goal with his actions.)

4. Amputate. When you want to positively influence the direction of your life, it’s important to realize that in addition to adding positive reminders, it’s also imperative to cut some things out of your life. Sometimes those are things like having sugary foods you crave in the pantry (“for the kids”   yeah, right!) or the weekly complaining sessions you’ve always had with your oldest friend.

Three years ago, after a speech, a woman approached me and told me about her dreams to own her own business and quit her J.O.B.) We talked about what might be holding her back and she told me about someone in her life who disdaining her dreams and kept asking her why she was even trying. I told her to be very careful and aware of how those conversations were affecting her, and maybe even holding her back. Recently, I saw her when I was speaking again and she told me that one year after our conversation, she had done nothing, had continued listening to her negative friend and absolutely nothing had changed in her business.

So, she went “radical” as I had advised and stopped telling her negative friend about ANY of her business plans and dreams. Her business took off 4 months later and she was able to completely quit her job 8 months later!

Sometimes you must just “amputate” those things that are not serving your dreams and goals.

5. Celebrate! Be sure to look at your prior list each night and celebrate where you had victories, no matter how small.  And at the end of this year, using the Everyday Resolutions method, I’ll bet you’ll have a lot more to celebrate than a date on the calendar!