Why Most People Don't Fulfill Their Resolutions

Did you ever want to achieve something badly and then commit yourself to doing something about it, only to fall short, perhaps even spectacularly?

If you answered yes, I have some “good” news for you. You’re not alone. Hardly so.

The most common example of this “want-commit-fail” continuum is, of course, New Year’s resolutions. Common resolutions like exercising more, eating healthier, and saving money often top the list. While statistics on fulfilling New Year's resolutions vary, studies suggest that a significant portion of people struggle to stick to their resolutions long-term.

According to research conducted by the University of Scranton, only about 8% of people achieve their New Year's resolutions. This low success rate is often attributed to various factors such as unrealistic goals, lack of specific plans, and insufficient commitment.

How to set goals to move us forward

Setting effective goals can significantly improve your productivity and help you achieve more. Here are some tips to help you set goals that motivate action and enhance your productivity:

Be Specific: Clearly define what you want to achieve. Specific goals provide a clear direction and make it easier to measure progress.

Make Them Measurable: Set measurable criteria to track your progress. Measurable goals help you stay focused and motivated as you see yourself getting closer to the target.

Why Don’t More People Set Goals?

In my previous post, I shared some surprising statistics about goal setting.

Or, should I say non-goal setting?

As in only 3% of the population setting goals and only about 1% of people writing them down.

The question is, why this so?

According to Brian Tracy, the 5 main reasons are:

They are not serious enough about being successful - “I know I should, but…”
They fail to understand the importance of goals - “Do they REALLY make a difference? I’ve tried them before and it didn’t work.”
They just don’t know how to do it - “I would if I knew how.”
They fear being rejected by others - “If I set goals, they’ll tell me that I’ll fail.”
They fear the failure of not meeting their goals - “Can I really do it this time?”

At different times in my career, I would have admitted to at least some, if not all of these.

This Goal-setting Statistic May Blow Your Mind

Did you know that only 3% of the population set goals and only about 1% of people write them down?

Yet, success expert Brian Tracy writes that, “the ability to set goals and make plans for their accomplishment is the ‘master skill’ of success. It is the single most important skill that you can learn and perfect. Goal setting will do more to help you achieve the things you want in life than will anything else you’ve been exposed to.

Tips to Manage Our Emotions AND Our Workloads

Here are some strategies that can help individuals cope with distressing news while still focusing on work:

Acknowledge Your Emotions: Recognize and accept your emotions rather than suppressing them. It's okay to feel upset or distressed about such events.

Set Realistic Expectations: Understand that during times of distress, your productivity might not be at its peak. Setting achievable goals for the day can help manage expectations.

Create a Supportive Environment: Surround yourself with supportive colleagues or friends who can provide a sense of community and comfort during difficult times.

The Best Leaders are Teachers

The best leaders are also great teachers.

Like great teachers, who demystify for their students critical areas like how best to learn, organize information, and study, great leaders are regularly teaching their people what they've learned about what does or doesn't work.

Here are some of the benefits that arise when leaders take on the role of educators and empower their teams.

Knowledge Transfer: When leaders take the time to share their knowledge, they help team members avoid pitfalls, make informed decisions, and accelerate their own growth.

How to Get Back Into a Routine

Prolonged holiday seasons, like those just concluded in the Hebrew month of Tishrei, present similar challenges.

Even with a schedule like this year, with much if the most stringent holidays occurring on weekends, observers found their workflows and routines greatly disrupted.

Since R+R is often associated with a weekend’s gift of “rest and relaxation,” let’s use R+S to connote our “return and success.”

Here are some “R+ S” tips to rebuild your routine and start getting things done.

They broke our trust. Now what?

Determining if someone is truly sorry and trustworthy can be a complex and subjective process, but there are several key factors to consider when trying to assess their sincerity and reliability:

Apology and Acknowledgment: A genuine apology is often the first step. The person should acknowledge their wrongdoing, take responsibility for their actions, and express remorse for the harm they've caused.
Empathy and Understanding: A sincere apology should demonstrate empathy and understanding of how their actions have affected you or others. They should be able to articulate the impact of their behavior on your feelings.

The Difference Between Productivity and Busyness

Productivity is about achieving meaningful results and making the most of your time, while busyness is simply being occupied with activities, whether they are important or not. The key to personal and professional success is to prioritize productivity over busyness, focusing on tasks and activities that truly contribute to your goals and using your time efficiently and effectively.

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