I resolve not to talk about New Year resolutions...

Oops, I just broke my New Year's resolution that I wasn't going to talk about resolutions this year.

​Ok, ok, I am going to talk about them, but my hope is that what I have to say comes as a relief. 
NEWS FLASH - you most likely have already failed in some way only two days into 2017...resolutions aren't easy to keep. If they were, we wouldn't be writing about them two days after New Year's...We put a great deal of energy into making them, but the reality of "Change" often kicks in and keeps us from meeting the resolutions. 

I have a suggestion - what if we imposed the 80/20 rule on our resolutions this year? The 80/20 rule can apply to your weight loss resolutions, your job search resolution, your stop smoking resolution, or whatever else you look to change. If we approach our resolutions thinking we are going to be able to hold to them 100% of the time, then you are living in a fairy tale land where Bernie Sanders actually won the 2016 election and will be our President in a few short weeks. But that didn't happen nor will the chance you will be able to stick to your resolutions 100% of the time. So let's apply the 80/20 rule to your resolutions and be ok with 80% success rate. 

80/20 means I am suggesting you allow yourself to make mistakes 20% of the time. That means you have to be more structured 80% of the time when you eat, smoke, work out, or job search, but also gives you a chance to go "off the rails" when life throws a challenge at you. And it will. That is what life does. It tests you. So nail it, 80% of the time and be stoked you did. If you want to work out seven days a week, apply the 80/20 rule and allow yourself a day off. If you eat 5 meals/snacks a day, that means a total of 35 meals...80% of them should be spot on, but that leaves you 7 times to be a bit less "spot on". That doesn't mean go nuts with those 7 meals, but allow yourself to be less than perfect. Because this is the second NEWS FLASH - you aren't perfect. No one is. And when you fall off the wagon because you aren't perfect, you often decide to just not get back on that wagon...what I am suggesting is step off it briefly and then allow yourself the ability to get right back on...

Resolutions are not about being perfect, they are about consistency and being in the "change game" for the long haul. 

​Good luck and enjoy that 20%.

Author

Amy Magyar, Founder and Chief Motivator of FromWithin Coaching. I specialize in ​Change Management for people at all ​stages, ages, and wages in their lives.