Resolutions: why they don’t work (and what to do)

Resolutions don’t work, there I’ve said it. But why don’t they work? Why are they so quickly given up and forgotten?

According to Forbes, “Almost one in six Brits, approximately 17%, will stick to their resolutions for four to six months. Another 9% persist with their goals for six to nine months, and 6% for nine to 12 months.”

Hmmm, not great, is it?

Here are some possible reasons you’ve never achieved your resolutions:

1. Your why wasn’t strong enough, or you hadn’t connected deeply enough with it. So, what would it mean to you, your family and your business?
2. Your expectation of results and frustration with it needing to happen more quickly. This is a big one in our fast-paced and ‘want it now’ environment.
3. You didn’t track your progress and missed or didn’t see the results you were achieving. By only focusing on the end game, you missed the small wins.
4. Fear of being different, what others will think of you and how they will react. As someone who gave up alcohol back in 2013, I know this one well.
5. You didn’t decide on the actions to support your resolution or plan how to achieve your chosen fabulous goal.
6. You tried to do it without support, accountability partner(s), or a community to keep you on track and help you through the more challenging times.

We usually associate resolutions with personal goals, but the six challenges mentioned above also apply to business goals. And with over ten business goal frameworks to choose from, no surprise that us business owners and entrepreneurs can end a year frustrated having not achieved our goals.

Business resolutions (goals or intentions).

Your business goals should excite and motivate you – stretch you a little. They should direct your planning process, guide your decision-making, support your business growth and help you avoid distractions.

They should be so much more to you than a list on your notice board!

I use a combination of goal frameworks, taking me ten years to find a way that works for me. Although, the key is your plan for achieving your goals. More importantly, implementing the plan because a goal without action is nothing more than a statement without intention, just like a plan is a waste of paper if you don’t action it!

So, to recap:

If you are setting personal intentions or business goals, please remember to connect with your why, set clear expectations, decide how you will track your progress and the actions you will take, and seek out the support you need.

Finally, if you’re now thinking, ‘Help Lindsey, I don’t know where to start in the business’, I invite you to book a Discovery Call, which you can do here. Or if this is the first time you’ve come across me, here are a few ways we can get to know one another.

💫 Connect with me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-burden/
💫 Find me on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lindseyburdencoaching/
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💫 Check out the podcast Challenging the Norm: His and Hers Look at Life and Business I co-host on Spotify or Apple.