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Writer's pictureDr. Andrew Yellen

New Year’s Resolutions- Small Steps Lead to Big Success

YELL’N SHOUT

12/27/2022


People do it every year. They make goals and resolutions that are only achievable in a perfect unrealistic world. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m a big believer in expanding your dreams and challenging yourself. Nothing great was ever achieved by remaining in your comfort zone.

That being said, don’t set yourself up for failure. That will only discourage you. Saying that you want to run a marathon by the end of January when you can’t even run ¼ mile now is just asking for defeat, which leads to a bad attitude, which leads to more defeat. The biggest problem is that many of us are impatient. We aren’t willing to put in the time and wait. You wouldn’t plant seeds tomorrow and expect a garden of vegetables tomorrow, would you? But be excited that you planted them


Small goals achieved lead to big goals achieved. It doesn’t make any difference what category we talk about – business, weight control, finances, sports, relationships, your body, etc. - It’s all the same. Start with something that challenges you, that isn’t so easy you don’t need effort. Here’s the example I use, and it comes from the human body. If you’re healthy, and I ask you to lift one pound but use all your strength, you laugh. You don’t need very much strength at all to lift one pound. If I asked you to lift 1,200 pounds, you wouldn’t even bother. Unless you’re an elite power lifter, you can’t do it, so you give up and are discouraged. But what if I asked you to lift a weight where you think to yourself, “Hmmm, I just might be able to do that if I use all my strength.” You’re much more likely to get close. Even if you don’t get it the first time, you’re excited to try again. Little successes lead to big successes.


Don’t make an entire year’s resolution to be achieved at once. Break them into smaller parts and celebrate each success. Along the way, only listen to those who encourage you. Don’t be dissuaded by those who might try to sabotage your dreams only because they don’t believe in themselves. Constantly reassess and adjust your goals because some may have been too unrealistic while others may have been too easy. Believe in yourself.


Use your New Year’s Resolutions to motivate yourself by structuring your success. The smaller goals help you stay focused on your larger goals. It’s no wonder that winners almost always find a way to win, while a losing culture continues along the same path.


Now, what’s on your New Year’s Resolution list?



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Tikkun Olam- heal the world. Leave it a better place when you leave.


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