Resolutions are usually made broken. Not intentionally, but for most people they are decided in a heat of the moment and not well-planned.

By this time of the year, a good number of people would have given up on their resolutions. Why? My previous post covered why most resolutions fail. If you haven’t read it, go back here and have a read first.

If you are one who has given up already, you still have 355 days of the year to make the impact. Reset yourself and have another go. If you are one of the others still pursuing the resolutions, keep it up!

Achieving any outcome will be hard. It takes a lot of work. To change your behavior takes time and effort. You want to stick to the resolution? Or create a new resolution right now?

Here is what we can do.

First, cut with what you think a resolution is and get back to the basic principle of what a resolution really is: an act of firm decision to do or not to do something – to do it admirably purposeful; to do it with unwavering determination.

This is the case with all goals – do it with purpose, do it with determination, do it with persistence. Reshape the resolution into well-formed goals and well-formed outcomes.

To begin, know the why.

What do you want? Why do you want that? Do you know why you want that?

If you don’t know why you are doing something, then it will be much harder to pursue it.

Understand why you want to achieve this outcome. What is it that is driving you to change the behavior? Is there something you’re seeking intrinsically from this? Are you meeting an individual need? What is the motive behind the outcome?

What will you gain from this, and what will you lose? What will happen if you achieve this? What won’t happen?

Consider what you truly want to get and then…

Make it your own.

The goal or resolution must be your own and it must be important to you. Are you doing it for yourself or for someone else?

You put the value on achieving the goal. If you have little interest in the outcome, then it is most likely you will take little ownership of the actions needed to get you there. When the goal is your own, you create the value around the outcome and the importance and urgency in order to realise it.

Know the exact outcome and be as specific and clear as possible. When you do this, you give your goals more credibility. When goals are vague and unclear, they tend not to be easily attained.

Break down the goal.

When you break down the big picture the habits of change and progress are much more easily managed. By breaking them down into doable chunks, you can tick off small goals on the way to the big one.

Establish systems and processes.

How will you achieve the outcomes? What will you be willing to do (or not do) in order to achieve it? What sacrifices or compromises are you going to make?

Stay on course by defining how you will structure yourself in order to make the outcome achievable. How will you know if you are progressing to the goal? What measurables have you implemented to keep on track?

The systems and processes you implement and work with are best to be structured enough to adhere to in order to keep you disciplined and working towards the outcome. They are also best to be flexible enough to evaluate your progress and adjust accordingly.

Give it a deadline.

How will you know that you have achieved the goal? Not all of them have to be a yearly focus and for an outcome to be measured it needs to be measurable. Give clear defined timelines and metrics that can measure progress.

Commit with intention.

Intention is about how you will act in the present. A goal is an outcome set in the future. Without intention, the goal is less likely to eventuate. Make the intention to set up processes, to adapt to the circumstances and changes that occur, to enjoy the moments that make up the journey.

You create the attitude with the intentions you set to achieve your outcomes. Create positive intentions, commit to them, and then…

Take action and persist.

Nothing will happen if you refrain from taking action. If you haven’t completed the above steps with conviction, then the action will be much harder to maintain. The previous steps are what will keep you on course, as well be your ongoing motivation.

Just start, and then continue to persist. Whatever progress or goal you seek will take time.

Celebrate the wins.

Rather than focus on celebrating the end-goal, which is usually so far away it can at times be a struggle to see the worth of attainment. But when you celebrate the small milestones, the progress, and the little wins along the way, achieving the end goal is that much more manageable.

So, the smaller, doable chunks provide more opportunities to celebrate progress and milestones. Acknowledge the effort. Reward your progress. Celebrate the small wins.

Resolutions. Goals. Outcomes. Whatever you want to call them, they all require work, commitment and persistence. Be flexible and have fun with them.