Because it’s that time of the year, we’re wondering, are you making any New Year’s resolutions? In case you are, we’ll share some helpful ideas about making, and keeping, New Year’s resolutions.

Approximately fifty percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions – but only eight percent are successful in keeping them through the end of the year. In fact, most people give up by the end of the first month. The good news is that if people can keep their resolutions going for a month, they have a much better chance of being successful.

Because it’s hard to keep resolutions, we thought we would look at some ways to help make resolutions stick. One helpful way is to have an accountability partner to keep you motivated if you get discouraged.

Having defined goals with specific steps to get there is also important. Making those goals and steps measureable and time-sensitive will help you chart progress. It has been said, “ What gets measured, gets done.” When Doug was training for a marathon, we actually tracked his progress by putting it on a wall calendar and that was motivating.

There’s another way to make a resolution that we talked about last year. Because it was so helpful for people, we’ll share it again here. It involves information we learned from the book, One Word That Will Change Your Life by Jon Gordon, Dan Britton and Jimmy Page. Notice that the title includes the word “will”, which is encouraging.

The power of this method is in the simplicity of it. As you might have guessed from the title of the book, this method involves picking one word that you use as a guide for your life for the whole year.

Last year we each picked a word. I (Lynn) picked the word “stretch”. The word stretch was not about physical effort. It was more about stretching in all areas of my life to try to be a better person and be able to make a difference in the world. When a challenge appeared too great and I felt like giving up, I reminded myself that I was committed to “stretch” and I was able to do what was needed and feel good about it.

Doug picked the word “bold” because he didn’t like getting out of his comfort zone. We’re sure he’s not alone with that thought. By staying committed to being bold, he tackled several things that showed his boldness. He even wrote and performed a couple of rap songs that people really enjoyed.

You might be wondering how to do this “one word’ type of resolution. Here are three steps the authors suggest:

1. Prepare your heart – look in. Get away and unplug from the busyness of life and set aside some quiet time. Look inward to open your heart to what is most important to you and prepare for a life change.
2. Discover your word – look up. Pray about it and look to your Higher Power to help you recognize the best word for you, given the circumstances of your life.
3. Live your word – look out. Find ways to live your word by applying it in all areas of your life. Take it out into the world and share it with others.

The One Word book talks about how a word that’s focused can becomes a force that cuts through confusion and brings clarity. Individuals, families, churches, schools, organizations and sports teams have used the One Word method with great success.

The authors say that your word can also help you leave a legacy because “Your word shapes your character. Your character influences your actions. Your actions influence others.” Your legacy will be the lives you touch and the impact you make.

We picked words fairly quickly last year. What we realize with this new year is that we want to take more time for reflection, so that our One Word will be the very best for us.

How about you? How will you make and keep your resolutions?

Here are some thoughts: Using One Word can be a very good way to make and keep a resolution. We encourage you to take time to discover the word that will be most meaningful for you as you set your intention for this year.

We hope you will share your word with us. Let us know how you plan to live it and take it out into the world to create your legacy. Wishing you the best and Happy New Year!

Chanhassen MN residents, Doug and Lynn Nodland are success coaches and owners of The Balance Center in Excelsior. Contact them at WeCare@TheBalanceCenter.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2019 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.