New Years Resolut....what?

“Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the

excitement of the moment has passed.” Cavett Robert

Remember back in January when we all had those high ideas, those lofty goals of weight loss and full length completed manuscripts and 10k training....
What happened to that, anyway?

It went a little something like this:

Have more fun

1.   Commit to a month at first, and work at it a little bit every day.  That’s how long it takes to make a habit become part of your behavior. Then take it month by month after that, when it’s easier to sustain. A year is too long. It feels almost unreachable to last all the way until December. Think about consistency more than longevity. “Activities you do once every few days are trickier to lock in as habits.” (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/18-tricks-to-make-new-habits-stick.html)

Get focused

2. Perhaps the first month can be an experiment, after that you may want to amend your resolutions to more manageable goals. Keep track, like a food or exercise diary, a record of your sleep patterns, your thoughts about how you’re performing. Give yourself praise. Remember: a marathon is still just one foot hitting the ground after the other.

Prioritize work

3.    Be accountable. Find a friend. Join a group. Find an online community where you can get support and encouragement. My Book Club/Critique group page on Facebook where we log our daily word count. It helps me get my weekly quota done when I know I have to admit when I skipped a day!

Spend less money

4.   Know that failure is okay. Pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and start over. It took me three tries before I finally stuck with weight watchers long enough for it to make a difference. Commit fully, but don’t expect perfection.

Get organized

 5.     Know WHY you want to keep your resolution(s). Write them down so you can refer back to it later. Be able to visualize your success.  

Get more sleep

6.      Have a back-up plan. Come up with solutions before so you can adjust things and still hit your goal. What if you’re scheduled to get out and run, what will you do if it rains? Missing one day can start a chain of missed days. Before you know it you’re totally off track! Have a plan to maintain your momentum.

We are what we repeatedly do.

Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

- Aristotle

Just because January is long gone, doesn't mean you have to live with the fact your best laid plans got slapped (in the face) with reality.
Which is totally NOT what happened to mine, but you're not allowed to ask because I don't want to talk about it.
What did you want to have accomplished already? Can you get back on track today?

Lisa Phillips is a contracted author with Harlequin's Love Inspired Suspense who moonlights as a diaper-changing, dinner-cooking wife and mom extraordinaire who is highly likely just suffering from exhaustion induced delusions. 
You can find her on Twitter @lisaphillipsbks and at her website www.lisaphillipsbks.com