Soul Sculpting Project: Don’t Give Up Yet!
The odds are against us. If you made a New Year’s Resolution you have a 8-10% chance of success. That is 90-92% odds you will not keep it.
And what’s worse — we are nearing the third Monday in January. This the day when the drop out rate begins to take a sharp up-turn and by the second week of February 80% of us will be out of the game.
If the odds are so bad, why even bother to play?
Because setting goals or resolutions is not the problem. The problem is a design error.
As a kid I learned about the idea of having a New Year’s Resolution you probably did, too. I never, however, received any directions on how to design a good resolution. Did you?
Studies show that well designed New Year’s Resolutions have a much higher success rate and these well designed resolutions and can make a significant difference in our life.
Soul Sculpting Project: How to Design a New Year’s Resolution. (Any time of year)
First Step: Invite the leadership of God’s Holy Spirit to direct you to an excellent resolution.
Second Step: Ask
- What exactly is my resolution? ________________ Get Specific
- How will I know when I reach my resolution? _____________ Make it Measurable
- This resolution may conflict with _______________, how will I solve the conflict? _________ Harmonize Conflicting Goals
- Who will help/support my resolution? __________ Get Social Support. (Not social media – unless it actually holds you accountable.)
- What will I do if/when I fail to do this resolution? ________ How Will I Get Back on the Wagon?
- How can I most enjoy this effort to keep my resolution? Enjoyment Matters
Third Step: Write down your resolution and put it where you will see it.
Goal setting experts agree: Written goals produce better results than unwritten goals.
I have several resolutions I am playing with this year. This week my job is to do the real work of designing excellent resolutions. I hope you will join me. 
May God give both of us skill for the design work before us.
“press on towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14)
soulsculpting 
Love the falling off wagon photo sequence. Playfully reminds me to ‘keep it light’s and not be too hard on myself.
BJ Fogg, ( Behavioral Scientist) calls ‘playfulness’ a critical element in creating behavioral change. We try something, then we play with it, adjusting as needed until we create the change we want to see. — It is so helpful to not be too hard on ourselves. I run into that concept of self -compassion often, as I explore topics for Soul Sculpting. Thanks for your thoughts!