10 Tips for How to Be Successful in New Year's Resolutions

Every year, countless people resolve to make changes to their lives at the stroke of midnight New Year's eve. A few days, weeks, or months later, those resolutions are forgotten or recalled with crushing guilt and despair. Here are ten tips for how to have realistic New Year's resolutions that you can successfully meet and avoid the guilt trip later on.

Start Small
Often, the best laid plans of mice and men are nothing more then empty talk. People frequently become intimidated by the scope of what they had voiced a desire to do. Some become overwhelmed by the pure magnitude of work required to accomplish their stated goal. Breaking a large goal into smaller parts makes the resolution less overwhelming and easier to accomplish.

Respect Your Limits
Many times, people assume that they must push their limitations in achieving things. This is only true in a few areas. And within those areas, it is only true in moderation. If you desire to improve your weight, for example, it is important to work within the needs that you have and your financial constraints. Failure to consider your dietary needs, in this case, can lead to serious health consequences that could have been easily avoided by merely keeping your limitations in mind. Similarly, making changes in one's life requires that a person incorporates these changes into their existing life. Failing to work with your limitations sets you up for frustration and failure.

Make a Plan for Success
A quick look at the major players in the world, you find that all of them rose to success and fame by way of hard work and planning. Planning incorporates accounting for your constraints and weaknesses as well as how you will utilize your assets and strengths. A good plan considers potential problems and alternate routes to success.

Respect Your Schedule
There are only twenty four hours in the day. As much as one might like to devote all of their time to their resolutions, it is vital that their schedule is adhered to. This allows you to be successful in many areas, including your new resolutions. Proper scheduling helps a person to use their time wisely and more efficiently.

Don't Compete
Often, people are tempted to compare their progress with the progress of others. This sets up false expectations. Judge your efforts on their own merits. Your resolutions are for you and can only meet your needs. The people who have similar resolutions have different life circumstances that will lead their path to success in a different direction then yours.

Do Use Your Support Network
Just as a marathon runner draws strength from their cheering section, so to do people who are striving to accomplish new goals with their New Year's resolutions. Make a point of informing the people closest to you what you are seeking to accomplish.

Ask for Help When Needed
It is difficult to ask for help. Sometimes, people feel that it is a sign of weakness to ask for assistance. Nothing can be farther from the truth. If you are struggling to fulfill your resolution, look to your support network. They can provide you with new ideas on how to approach the problem.

Be Flexible on Order of Accomplishment
At times, a person is tempted to list out their goals as a timeline of what is to be accomplished. The path to success, however, is not always a straight line. Some goals may be accomplished in a fashion that defies the original planned timeline. Flexibility in how one approaches this situation helps a person to be successful because it frees up their mental resources to address the challenges before them. Rather then dwelling on how item A should have happened before item B, the flexible person appreciates that they completed item B and resumes work on accomplishing item A.

Be Compassionate
Being your own worst critic, it is easy to assume that problems and bumps along the path to success are an expression of how you are a failure as a person. When working on accomplishing any new skill or life goal, it is wise to consider the successes that one has rather then the problems. Thomas Edison is a fine example of a person who was compassionate in how they approached difficulties in reaching their goals. When asked about his difficulties in devising a working light bulb, he chose to phrase his response in a positive manner, famously stating "I have not failed a thousand times. I have succeeded in proving a thousand ways it will not work."

Don't Over Share Your Plans
Be careful about who you share your plans with. Make certain that the people who are made privy to your New Year's resolutions and goals are people who will greet this undertaking positively. Surrounding oneself with people who encourage an optimistic and positive outlook on their goals helps to boost one's confidence.

With a little forethought and some careful consideration, it is possible to make lasting changes by way of New Year's resolutions. Treat your goals with the respect that they deserve and do the same for yourself. Ultimately, a New Year's resolution is about what you seek to improve about yourself. Look for the positives and you will astound yourself by what you can accomplish.