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Have you written your New Years Resolutions yet? Did you write a list last year? How many did you follow through with? As Dr Phil would say “How’s it working for you?”

You have probably realized that simply writing a list is not enough. There is obviously another step that you need to take, to achieve results. I would like to show you another way to write, and achieve your New Year’s resolutions.

Start by writing a list of changes, dreams or goals that you would like to achieve. Don’t worry too much about reality at this point, but include some big, and small items.

Next, go through this list and say the following “I want to (name your first resolution) because (give your reason why). Go through the whole list, and record your reason why.

When you have finished, go back through the list, and cross off every item where your reason is, or is similar to, “because I should”, or “I have to”.

Hopefully, you will still have one or two items left on your list to work with!

If your “because…”  is “I should” that reason would not be powerful enough to motivate you to stick with the resolution until you have succeeded. Your reasons need to be clear, very important to you, and to have strong emotional content for why you want to succeed. “I should” would give you a 1 on an 1-10 emotional scale. So now you need to look at your remaining items, and find out how many of them have reasons that would score a 10. An example of a 10 for a person who wants to buy a house, could be “ I have met the girl of my dreams and we are getting married. We both want to have children, and I want to provide a secure home in a safe environment. I do not want to have to move because the landlord has sold the house. As it will be harder to save money after the children are born I want to buy now while we have fewer financial commitments.” That beats “I should” any day.

At this point, you need to close your eyes and “see” your resolution completed and successful. Picture it being 31 December, 2010. Note where you are, what the weather is like, see what your successful resolution looks like. Lock in the reasons for why you have chosen to achieve it.

Come back to the present, and take an action that starts the process to achieving your goal. As the year goes on, you will face challenges to your resolution. Most, if not all your challenges, will not score a 10, so your list of reasons, can be used to overcome obstacles which will occur along the way.

I have written more on this topic, on my blog. If you would like to learn more, or have some questions, check out my blog, leave a comment, or send me a question.

To Charlotte and all the Happyzine contributors and readers, I send my very best wishes for your family celebrations, and the very best for 2010.

Mary Speller.