We’re quickly approaching the last week in January and by now, many of our well-intentioned resolutions have taken a detour. For many, a big part of the problem is setting unrealistic goals and having unrealistic expectations. According to Statistic Brain, by the middle of January, already 31% of those who made resolutions have already abandoned them, and by the end of the month, little more than 50% will still be on track.
No matter where you fall in the statistics, this may be a good time to make sure your goals are realistic for the long haul. Sometimes resolutions are too precise and extreme: wanting to lose lots of weight in too short an amount of time, for example. Maybe you’ve determined that you’re going to make considerably more money, but you’ve not developed a plan for how you propose to make that happen. Resolutions can be hard to achieve. Don’t set yourself up for failure before you’ve barely begun.
Review your goals and resolutions. Create goals that are reasonable, those that you feel you can attain and a few that are more challenging. With more realistic goals, you’re already increasing the probability of staying on course.