Feb 10, 2010 Posted by denice johnson on Feb 10, 2010 in life, mind | 0 comments

enthusiasm maintained over time equals success

“Commitment is doing the thing you said you would do, long after the mood you said it in has left you!” – George Zalucki

How go the New Year’s Resolutions? Take a minute, try to remember what they were. It’s been 40 plus days since we made them and by now most of us have lost the enthusiasm with which those goals were made. Oh sure, the gym looks real attractive in the glow of a red wine induced stupor on December 31st. As do salads, hefty savings accounts and working at the soup kitchen every Sunday.

The problem is – and here’s the problem – once the initial mood in which a goal was set wears off, so often does the goal. We are never taught how to maintain a degree of that initial enthusiasm over the long haul so that we don’t lose interest and end up on the couch watching Golden Girls reruns with a bag of chips large enough to feed a small South American country for a decade, our commitment to the goal a distant laughable memory.

You might think, yeah, exactly, so blah. That’s how it is, nothing we can do about it. People get excited about losing weight, getting a better job, buying a mansion, flying to the moon and then poof! it’s gone. That’s the circle of goal setting and we’re okay with that.

But are you? Are you really okay with that or would you like to see some if not all of your earthly objectives come to fruition?

It is possible to not only enthusiastically set goals but to stay true to the energy which inspired them long enough to make them happen. The how will depend a little on the what but there are some basic ideas you can apply to any situation that will help you stay the course.

1. Write it down. A thing is all the more true if you take pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).
2. Be specific. Vague goals beget vague results. If you want to lose ten pounds, say so. If you want to be a millionaire, say so. Include any immediate strategies you have for getting there while they are fresh.
3. Follow up. No sense writing it down if you’re not going to look at it ever again. Make a commitment to look at what you’ve written once a day at first and then once a week after you’ve created a healthy habit you feel is moving you in the right direction.
4. Add on. As time passes feel free to add ideas and comments to your goals. Augment or alter them as you see fit but only in a way that continues to move your train along the tracks. Changing a goal by downgrading it to suit declining enthusiasm is not the idea here.
5. Talk about it. Let your excitement about your goals and resulting achievements shine! Share a positive outlook about your plans with people and you might find you inspire not only yourself but others as well!

Exceptionally successful people are different only in their ability to follow through on commitments they’ve made to themselves long after the rest of the world has moved on to easier things. It’s a skill anyone can learn. So why not rethink those Resolutions? See if you can’t find your long term enthusiasm for the things you desire most!