Shameless Plug

I love New Year's! It's a new beginning and a new start and there is a real feeling of optimism in the air. That's why people set resolutions, or at least that's why I think they do. They want to make the most of the fresh start the New Year affords them. But then, something happens.

In doing a little research I found that less than half of people (about 45%) make resolutions. A generation or two ago, that percent was has high as 88%. So what happened?

Resolutions, like the road to Hell, is paved with good intentions. But good intentions don't often lead to real results. So by the end of the month, many people have given up on their resolutions. Don't believe me? Try going to a gym in mid-January. It's packed! By mid-February, you have no problem getting on your favorite treadmill!

There are three main reasons why resolutions don't stick.

Lack of a game plan. Losing weight. Stopping smoking. Getting a new job. All of these are possible but none are plausible without a real plan, a strategy. Even something as simple as spending more time with the kids or the hubby won't happen without some planning.

Lack of motivation. Some resolutions make the list just because you think they should be there. For example, smoking. You know it's bad for you. You know you shouldn't do it. So you make a resolution to stop it. There's one problem ... you still really enjoy smoking. More importantly, if you are honest with yourself, you don't feel like going through the enormous tasks of stopping. So you give up for a hot minute and then you start again.

Lack of discipline. To me, this is also related to motivation. They say discipline is what keeps you going when the initial enthusiasm wears off. The ability to "just do it" or "do it anyway" is discipline. To me, it's easier to maintain discipline when you have a goal that motivates you.

I've developed a 90-minute seminar called Feelin' Fine in 2009! In less time than it takes to watch a movie and for less than it cost for dinner and a movie, participants can hang up the phone at the end of the call, and have three goals they they are excited about achieving and a plan to make it happen.

Check it out for yourself at Feelin' Fine in 2009.

Make 2009 your best year yet!