With January drawing to a close, I’m just wondering how everyone is getting on with their New Year’s Resolutions. How many people started on January first with all these great intentions which by the end of week 2, or if you’re doing really well, week 3, had been flung by the wayside, and you’re now beating yourself up about it, wondering why you ‘can never stick at it’ and achieve these wondrous results you aspire to!

Well, you’re not alone ! Research shows that at least a quarter of people make at least one New Year’s Resolution, generally involving self-improvement issues such as healthy eating, fitness, abstinence from alcohol etc, and a large portion of these good intentions end in disappointment. According to a UK survey around 25% of people who made New Year’s Resolutions in 2020 failed to keep any of them, with only 48% keeping some! So why do so many New Year’s Resolutions end in failure?

As a life coach, and an athlete, I am a firm believer in year round goal setting . We should get into the habit of setting effective goals in all aspects of our lives all year round, not just in January. These goals should include long term and short term goals, with milestones along the way to keep us on track. Perhaps one of the reasons so may people fail in achieving their New Year’s Resolutions is because their resolutions are vague ‘intentions’ rather than specific, well defined, measurable goals. Effective goal setting is a skill and it needs to be learned, practiced, and refined until eventually it becomes a habit. I thought I’d kick off my first blog of 2022 with some practical goal setting tips to help those of you who may be feeling a bit disillusioned as regards your New Year’s Resolutions . Don’t worry, there’s loads of time left – still another 11 months to go!!