Jack Canfield argues vague New Year's resolutions fail because they lack specifics. Instead, write measurable goals with exact numbers and deadlines, visualize them daily, build one habit per quarter over 13 weeks, and review your progress each day.
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Hi there. I'm Jack Canfield. I know a lot of people wait until the start of the year to think about their goals. But I want to talk to you today about why you shouldn't be so quick to make New Year's resolutions. Because there's a better way to reach your goals. If you don't set goals for yourself, you most likely will end up wandering aimlessly without making any real progress toward changing your circumstances in the way you'd hope. January 1st is the time most people set goals full of enthusiasm and optimism. But as you've probably witnessed time and time again, most people lose that momentum and motivation and ultimately abandon their New Year's resolutions as fast as they've made them. And that's because New Year's resolutions don't necessarily allow you to properly set your goals, make you map out a step by step plan for achieving them, or give you a system for keeping track of your progress. You see, the problem with most New Year's resolutions is they're just a want, a wish or a vague idea. There's no hard deadline or specificity to the goal. It's something that you're vaguely putting out into the universe. But the universe rewards those who are specific. The fact is that vague goals produce vague results. You know, I read a statistic recently that but only 3% of the population actually writes down specific measurable goals. And correlate that with this 3% of the world's population owns 90% of the world's resources. So it's safe to say that goal setters who are specific about what they want and what they're willing to do to create it are the high achievers. One of the best ways to give your goals clarity and specificity is to write them down as if you're writing specs for a work order. Include every possible detail. If you want a car, write down the make, the model, the color, the year, and all the features that you want in that car. Make sure that they meet two criteria, how much and by when. Instead of saying I'm going to lose 10 pounds, say I will weigh 135 pounds by 5pm on June 30. Again, how much by when? Now, being this specific unleashes the power of your subconscious mind. It has something to grasp as opposed to most news resolutions that have a vague deadline of sometime this year, which doesn't give you the same push as 5pm on June 30. Here's something else to consider that 3% of high achieving goal centers I was talking about earlier. Also harness visualization to engage their subconscious mind. By letting their mind's eye envision, their goal is already completed. This creates something I call structural tension. It's a conflict between what is and what is wanted in our subconscious mind. A tension between what we're visualizing in our present current reality. And our minds by their very nature are goal seeking organisms. And it will work day and night to close that gap, activating our subconscious creative powers to process and filter information differently. Meaning you'll start being more aware of anything that can help you achieve your goal. It'll tune into any activity, any relationship, in any group that can get you closer to the life you're trying to create now. Making a New Year's resolution also doesn't really properly prepare you for overcoming the fears and roadblocks and limiting beliefs that might come up. If someone makes a vague resolution to start running daily, they'll probably get thoughts like, I could get hurt, I might injure myself. I have to wake up two hours earlier every day before work. What if it's raining out? All of these will turn them off and have second thoughts of whether or not they really want to do it. They really want to achieve that goal. These considerations, fears and roadblocks are a natural part of your journey. In fact, if they don't come up, your goal isn't big enough to stretch you. The key is to know that they're normal and to not let them stop you. They're just part of the process now. Research also shows that if you repeat a behavior for 13 weeks, like meditating for 20 minutes a day, reviewing your goals twice a day, or writing thank you letters every day to your clients, it'll stick for life. So working diligently on building or changing one new habit every quarter won't overwhelm you like an unrealistic literature list of New Year's resolutions, or underestimate what you can actually do. So just pick one new habit of quarter Rather than making a long list of all the things you're going to try to do, I promise you this is a much better strategy for success. With all that said, I want you to do a little bit of homework. After watching this video, don't wait to make a list of goals you want to accomplish. I want you to start with just one big, realistic and specific goal. Write it down and review it constantly. Read it at least twice a day every day. And then I want you to make sure you do something every day that moves you closer to achieving that goal. And tell me what your goal is by leaving a comment below and I'll follow up with you to make sure you're working towards it. Thank you for watching, and remember, nothing will change for the better until you do. Now, if you found this video helpful, make sure you like it, share it with a friend who may need it, and subscribe to my channel. For more videos like this one, and for some additional resources on how to effectively set and achieve your goals, visit my website@jackhamfield.com.
