Edited: 26 Dec, 2011.
It is time to take out your new diary and get ready to turn over another leaf in your life. And, yes, it is time for drafting a few new year resolutions as well! How do we go about preparing new year resolutions that are practical, and, of course, achievable at the same time?
With the tips given below, you should be able to achieve both.
You will find the whole process of drafting new year resolutions a surprisingly fresh and pleasant task; something that can be cherished throughout the year.
Follow these steps diligently and you will be all set to meet the new year head on with renewed vigor and energy:
Step 1: The SWOT Analysis- Review Your Last Year
SWOT Analysis involves analyzing your strengths and weaknesses and the opportunities and threats thrown at you by life events in day to day life. SWOT analysis is a very handy tool to use whenever you take up a task in life, whether professional or personal. Though you may not succeed every time, your failure rate is drastically cut down when you use SWOT analysis as a forerunner of all your activities. Your confidence and self respect will grow because you know that you have done what you must. When you prepare the SWOT list, put them under the following headings -- personal, family, social, professional and spiritual.
- S for your strengths. Which were your best achievements last year? Which personal qualities helped you achieve those? What are your professional and financial strengths? Backups? Have you underutilized any of your strengths last year? Make a list of each.
- W for your weaknesses: What were your failures? What do you think were the reasons for those weak performances? Make a list. Do not cheat yourself!
- O for Opportunities that knocked on your door last year. Make a list of opportunities that you turned to your advantage and also of those which you may have missed. You may get additional points for your strength and weakness lists when you prepare this list. Also put down a tentative list of opportunities that you think may come up next year.
- T for Threats. What were the challenges that you had to face last year? How many did you tackle head on? How many actually pulled you back? Make a list of the threats that you may have to face next year.
Step 2: Review Your SWOT Analysis List
Now that you have your SWOT analysis list, go through it with a comb and a lens.
- For each weakness, jot down the positive changes you would make (in your attitude and actions) during the next few months.
- For each threat, note down the resources that you will have to mobilize so you can nullify their negative effects and practically convert them into advantages for the coming year.
- Sort out the gems and pearls among your strengths and opportunities that you would like to retain and improve upon.
- Convert challenges into opportunities for progress. Prune your list so that essential, even difficult tasks get priority over simple, not so essential tasks.
- Chuck out the really difficult new year resolutions that you know you cannot and would not keep. However, if you feel that these are essential for your progress, give them a try. There is nothing to lose, only a little self respect maybe, but everything to gain when you succeed!
- Keep your ego aside and discuss the list with your spouse and/or close friends. They might help you realize some important personal characteristic of yours that you might have missed out.
Step 3: Goal Setting: Prepare a Plan of Action
Prepare a plan of action in black and white. Write down your short term (1-3 months), intermediate (3-8 months) and long term (1 year) goals. Group your selected goals into 'very essential, essential and not so essential’ categories. Also try sorting into 'easy, not so easy and difficult’ new year resolutions. Look at the list again and prioritize them. Take a final bold step and strike off the resolutions that (you know) are not going to materialize.
Step 4: Record Your New Year Resolutions in Black & White
It is always advisable to have a vision of what you want to achieve during the next one year, 5 years, 10 years and so on. At the moment, though, let us concentrate on the coming new year. Putting down your goals with a date and plan of actionin black and white is the final essential step towards achieving your visions.
Remember: A vision is a goal with a date and plan of action.
Take a large size printout and paste it where you can see it first thing in the morning and last thing before going to bed at night. It could be on the wall opposite your bed, on the fridge door or beside the bathroom mirror. Make it a habit to review, and, if necessary, revise the list periodically. There is no hard and fast rule that you should not improve upon your new year resolutions!
Further Reading
Hanish Babu - Dr.Hanish Babu, MD is a dermatologist and a feature writer on Suite101.com with more than 200 articles related to skin diseases on the ...
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