4 Steps to Change Your Life

If you're like most people, by now you've broken all your resolutions for the year. I know-many of us have given up on making resolutions all together. Year after year we make resolutions, and promptly break them a few weeks, or days, or hours later. New Year's Resolutions don't work. Why even make them?

I still believe in the importance of New Year's Resolutions. There's something formative in remembering that we have not yet lived into our potential and planning to do so. The problem is not in making resolutions, but in the way we do so.

Perhaps now is not the time to give up on your resolutions, but to make a new start on them.

So, here are 4 steps to living your resolutions-or 4 steps to changing your life.

1) Commit.

You can make almost any change in your life if you really commit to do so. This is what it means to make a resolution-to resolve to do something. To resolve means to come to a definite or earnest decision; to determine to do something. There's power in resolve.

Most of us really make New Year's Wishes. We wish something would change. There's no power in wishes. Don't make any wishes this year. Make a resolution-commit to making a change, no matter what.

2) Make a plan.

You've resolved to make a change. You have a commitment. Now how are you going to do it? What is your plan? How are you going to lose 20 pounds? What do you need to do to finish your dissertation? When are you going to sit down to write that novel? What do you need to read to know how to accomplish your resolution?

The power of the old cliche is evident here: Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.

Ask yourself right now: What's the very next step in accomplishing my resolution?

3) Go public.

Tell people you are going to change. This may be the most important step if you actually want to accomplish your resolution. Telling others keeps you accountable. People you have told will ask you how you are doing. Knowing others are checking up on you is a powerful motivation for sticking with it.

The reason we don't want to tell others is because we would be embarrassed if we fail and others knew it. But you are not going to fail. You have already committed to change no matter what. So go public. Tell some people.

4) Live it.

You've made a firm commitment to change, no matter what. You've made a plan of how to accomplish the change. You've told people you are going to change. Now live the change. Become who you have resolved to be.

Let's make this the year we live our resolutions!