We are approaching the end of the first quarter. How is your New Year’s resolution going for you? Usually, about this time, many resolutions have been abandoned and kicked to the curb. The good intentions have fallen by the wayside and people walk away as defeated as they were this time last year. However, a seemingly failed attempt at a change in behavior for self-improvement can be salvaged with persistence and the right perspective.

For example, health club attendance usually spikes at the beginning of each year.

People are usually well engaged, as measured by attendance in classes or in the workout facility. The first three weeks are filled with enthusiasm. However, this year the enthusiasm waned after the first week. What is going on? Why are people disenchanted and disengaged so quickly? Is this indicative of results in other areas where resolutions are generated? Are they becoming harder and harder to sustain? We need to think of a different way of approaching our resolutions to give them greater sustainability.

We need to look at New Year’s resolutions as is a promise; and we like to keep our word. We need to see our resolutions as a computer program that simply needs to be realigned. What is really required is a resolution reboot.

Additionally, we should not confine our performance into a tight time frame, but to see it as a work in progress. A resolution reboot is necessary and admissible as evidence of our long term commitment. It is permissible as a continuation of the implementation of your growth strategy. We will reboot as many times as necessary until the program is fully functioning and running smoothly.

We must see our resolution as a part of an overall plan. Included in this strategy is our propensity to stop and start until the task is completed. It is our nature to not necessarily get something right the first time.  We have a tendency to collect a series of false starts, a few glitches before we are running like a well oiled machine.

Don’t beat yourself up if the early returns on your performance against your goal are not successful. Humans have a history of persistence until we reach our objectives. From learning how to walk, talk, think and run, the beginning stages did not go as planned.

Many of our goals as defined and described are like New Year’s resolutions. They had a rough beginning, but eventually became a part of our daily routine. We must approach our current resolutions simply as goals with things need to work on.

When a computer is not acting according to plan or specifications, the manufacturer usually asks us to reboot the program to see if it corrects itself. Whenever I have a computer issue, invariably I am asked to turn off the equipment and reboot. The same happens when I have a problem with my cable service. I am asked to please turn off the system for 30 seconds and turn it on to allow it to reboot itself. Many times this corrects the problem, as if the machine knows what is appropriate and aligns itself with the proper behavior. There is something therapeutic about shutting yourself down, rethinking your position, recommitting yourself to the goal and reminding yourself what success looks like.

You may need to try the same procedures to restart your resolutions, while keeping your goal in mind.

The early stages of your New Year’s resolution should not be seen as a performance failure, but as a temporary setback to regroup and rededicate yourself. Even if you are one of those individuals who backed away from your exercise goals after the first week, the game is not over. Tell yourself that your discontinuation was expected. It is a part of your well-planned routine to keep you working on your resolution until you get it right.

With the remaining days in the month and year, stay dedicated to your resolution. You know it is needed and the right thing to do for your development.  View the early returns as data and make the necessary course corrections to get you back on track. What worked for you in the early stages?

I remember training for the marathon and following the Galloway method. He suggested continuing to move forward, even if you had to stop and walk, but eventually you will reach your goal. So get Ready – Recommit – React – Reboot.  Keep moving and each  successful step in the right direction will get you closer to your overall goal.

Copyright © 2017 Orlando Ceaser