5 ways to succeed at New Year's resolutions

We made it. 2017 is here with the promise of a fresh start. Resolutions, anyone?

Many things can (and will) be said about 2016 what we can all agree on is that it was a year full of changes gains, losses and everything in between.

You may argue that there's no real difference between December 31st and January 1st, but don't give into cynicism. Of all days, New Year's Day gives you the opportunity to shift things in significant ways and I encourage you not to squander it or throw that chance away.

‍A study from Statistic Brain proves that people who explicitly make New Year's resolutions are 10x more likely to reach their goals than those who don't.

It's not surprising that the #1 resolution is losing weight or that #2 is getting organized.

What may surprise you is that 45% of Americans make New Year's resolutions and only 8% actually achieve them each year. This might be the cause:

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"No amount of self-improvement can make up for any lack of self-acceptance." Robert Holden, PhD ___________________________

Here are 5 things you can do to beat those odds while building up your self-acceptance.

‍5 WAYS TO SUCCEED AT YOUR RESOLUTIONS

1) Know & Live Your Core Values Use your values rather than comfort to guide your decisions. Chances are, you're already comfortable enough if you're not consistently hungry, homeless or dirty. What you love will get you into action more reliably than emotional blackmail or bribes.

‍2) Create Workarounds to Your Feelings You may think me heartless but feelings can get in the way of progress. If you're waiting to feel "in the mood" to file your taxes, you may be waiting a long time. Like forever.

‍3) Eat the Frog Procrastination kills you twice you drag around the thing(s) you wish you were finished with AND your inaction saps your self-esteem it keeps you stuck in a story that says you're lazy and a loser. Lose the story and eat the frog. Everything afterwards will taste like cake.

‍4) Quantify & Schedule Assign a specific time value to each task, make an appointment in your calendar and review your day either the night before or first thing in the morning. Showing up on time for the things that matter is something we all learned in 3rd grade. Play it forward.

‍5) Choose Work-Life Integration Break free from the myth of "Work-Life Balance." It puts you on the defensive keeping score (and you never come out ahead) while trying to balance perfectly on the see-saw of life. Stay on solid ground and find ways to integrate high value activities throughout your day.

ACCOUNTABILITY IS YOUR GAME CHANGER

If you want to start this year off strong and are afraid you will bail on yourself after a few weeks, I invite you to join Open Office Hours, a program we offer twice monthly for those who want some motivation, a little tough love and extra accountability.

‍OOH is a wonderfully supportive, diverse and open group from all over the world who suit up and show up every day. And when they fall short, they tell the truth and get back on the horse.

As a result, each of them have made amazing progress over the past year.

This may seem like shameless self-promotion it's not. I'm the least important piece of the puzzle.

‍You're 3x more likely to achieve your goals when you say them out loud and hold yourself accountable. I just created a platform for the declaration.

So, 2017 will be whatever you make it out to be. If you want the same old same old, keep doing what you've been doing and you're sure to get it.

My resolution is a yoga class a day. I won't go to the gym by myself, but I will show up to a class with a teacher. And I know I have to move my body or I'll be miserable.

So far, I'm batting a 1000: I just got home from the first class of 2017. How about you?

‍Let's make 2017 a year to remember instead of another year to forget.