I believe a resolution is an unplanned goal. It is a wish. It falls into the category of “It must be nice!”. There is no plan so any will power and self motivation you expend on a resolution is a losing proposition.Want to do better than wish you could? OK. Here are a few tips on getting from where you are closer to where you want to be.

Ask yourself a few questions.

First, what is important to me? What do I value? What you value shows in your use of time and money. What have you bought for yourself recently? How about for others? Was this a good use of your money? What do you do regularly now instead of what you want to do? You don’t do nothing, you “do” something! Even if it is sit still or sleep, you do it. It is a choice too. No, don’t get huffy about it. You choose to do what you do. Yes! You Do! Unless you have a knife to your throat or a gun is against your child’s head, you do choose. The choice may be limited but you do choose and that choice is determined by your most important values.

Second, you can not have it all now. If you planted a garden, you would not expect to harvest the next day. It takes time to produce a crop. Depending what you grow it can take a few weeks, months or even years. My Grandfather once bred out a herd of 100% pure cattle. He started with cows of one breed and a bull of another. Slowly he would breed, deliver, raise and breed again until over a period of years he got what he wanted, a full-blooded herd of beef cattle.

Be prepared to spend some time regularly and to deal with the crap. A successful businessman once said that there was no such thing as “crap-less success”. Everyone has to go through some crap to get what they want. It is a test of whether you want it or not. If you need callouses, nature will give them to you but only if you use your hands first and get a few blisters. Then fairly quickly you get callouses. Get ready mentally to do the time. Pay the price for the full measure of success.

Don’t underestimate the cost or overestimate your ability to pay it. You can do it, a bite at a time. It is important to have a written plan of action and part of that is a plan to adjust your effort when you are sick, have time conflicts etc… There is a work-out method called the Quick Fit method. It take s 15 minutes and is intended to get non-exercises started. It is much better than nothing but not enough to get you to your ultimate goals. Use a fall back method, a tread water method. When you can’t do anything else, fall back to your maintenance method.

Get some other people involved. First get good advice. Have someone help you decide where you are and what is the best path to where you want to go. I remember reading about the first climbers to scale El Capitan. It is a vertical rock face in one of our western national parks. In California I think but maybe Wyoming. I could look it up but the point is they were very slow and very deliberate. Those on the ground started up to rescue them (no cell phones or small radios in those days). The climbers threw rocks down on their would be rescuers to make them stop. Get good advice and follow it even if the progress is slow. Involve someone else for accountability. Report your effort and consistency. Let them encourage you.

To recap: Make a choice based on your values. Expect it to take time, more than you want it to, and to use more energy than you expect and to be harder than you thought. It is easier to stick with a hard goal if you plan for slow progress. Get expert advice on how and an expert in your personal psychology to help you get there faster and more directly. Be prepared for the full price which involves some crap.

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