No Resolutions

By Isaiah O’Connor
a 3 1/2 minute read

I was thinking of writing a New Years’ blog that was rather a standard format, that is to say, do a year in review and a bit of plan for the future type of thing. However, as I started to write it, it felt a bit too hollow and cliche, so I figured I would go a different route. I saw someone make a joking post on FaceBook about New Years Resolutions. It said,

“I’m opening a gym called “Resolutions.” It will have exercise equipment for the first two weeks and then it turns into a bar for the rest of the year."

Humorous as this is, it got me thinking. Why is it that there is a large difference between the amount of resolution made vs the amount accomplished. As I thought about it I came to this conclusion. The large majority of resolutions are simply grand dreams, wishes that you hope for but have no real concrete plan of achieving. For example, many people make a resolution to lose weight. You could reword it from “This year I resolve to lose weight” to “I wish I could lose weight this year.” Or “This year I resolve to become wealthy” to “This year I wish I could become wealthy.”

“The large majority of resolutions are simply grand dreams, wishes that you hope for but have no real concrete plan of achieving.”

— Isaiah O'Connor

When you put them in the form of a wish, it becomes clear that it is just wishful thinking, hoping that by some miracle these things just happen, with no real effort. So how do you avoid this wishful but well-intentioned thinking? You need to recast them as goals. Goals have concrete ending points, as well as concrete steps to achieve them.

So instead of “This year, I resolve to lose weight.” you may want to recast it to

“My goal is to lose 50 pounds by December 31st. I will do this by changing my eating habits, cutting down on processed and sugary foods, and being active at least 45 minutes a day 5 days a week. Each week my goal will be to lose at least 1 pound but no more than 2.”

This not only creates an achievable goal, but gives you a way to track your progress, and concrete steps to take to make the goal happen. Then you need to write it down and put it somewhere you can see it. It also helps to have at least one other person know your goal and is willing to hold you to it. The outside accountability helps to push you forward on the days you are just not up to doing it, feeling discouraged, or just plain lazy.

So, how do you apply this to your business? You need to figure out what your goals are, set a date to complete them by, create a plan of action and write it all down, and put it where you can be reminded of them daily. Your plan of action needs to have concrete steps that are easily understood and tracked. For example, if you need to double your sales volume, look at your marketing efforts. If your biggest return is on cold calling clients, and you are calling one or two a day, double it, call 4 a day. This is a concrete and achievable step to help you double your sales. Of course, this is just one of many things you can do, so create a full plan, that is not overwhelming, but not to easy either that you can follow.

One last thought. As I learned from Dave Ramsey, Goals need to be S.M.A.R.T. That is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Sensitive. You can read his blog post on it here.

So this year make your big dreams happen by setting big goals! If you need help with setting goals or finding a way to make your business goals happen, feel free to contact us to get your free half-hour consultation.

For the next post am going to continue with my “What is holding you back” series, starting with how to deal with Fear.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Entrepreneur
Isaiah O’Connor.

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