How to Make a New Year’s Resolution that Sticks

It is that time of the year when we all consider making our New Year’s resolutions. Some have given up on making any resolutions because they usually don’t last very long and end up in disappointment.  But we all have changes that we would like to see happen in our lives.  The beginning of a new year, or a new decade is a great time to evaluate our lives and recalibrate.  Taking some time to think about our lives and what needs to change can make a big difference in the trajectory of your life.  Why not take some time not only to think about your life and what is important, but also to pray and ask God how your life may need to recalibrate to fulfill your calling for His glory?

Common resolutions include things like losing weight, reading through the Bible this year, getting in shape, eating healthier, and spending less time on your phone (screen time).  Psychologists tell us that we usually try to make too big of a change rather than smaller changes.  This leads to failure and then feelings of inadequacy.  We decide to read three chapters of the Bible a day, rather than one chapter.  Or we make a resolution to go to the gym five days a week when realistically it may be only possible to sustain 2 or 3 days a week.  Make your resolution reasonable and sustainable.  However, that is not usually the biggest issue for us in sticking to resolutions.

Resolutions require us to focus and PERSEVERE.  Change comes hard.  There will be obstacles to overcome for us to see the change all the way to the end, so it become a habit.  Pushing through obstacles and anticipating what life will be like by pushing through is required.  But persevering is a strength that not all of us find natural or use freely.  Persevering is hard work and not easy for many of us.

Perseverance is a GREEN strength.  The strength to set a pathway to a goal and follow through with it to the end is a natural strength for those who are motivated by PROCESS.  They usually give a great deal of thought about their plan and how to execute the plan so when they make a decision, they are pretty much committed to seeing it through to the end.  For this reason, GREEN’s will probably have more success with resolutions than other MVS’s.

I am a RED, but I have perseverance in my top three lines of my diamond.  Every MVS has the ability to use the strength PERSEVERANCE for their motivation.  Connecting your motivational drive with the strength you wish to deploy is the key for success.  In the new SDI 2.0 report online, you can click on the strength PERSEVERANCE and you will get a description on how to use the strength in a way that it connects to your motivation.  This is critical to maintaining focus through the difficult times and obstacles that come up.  Here is the description for RED MVS using PERSEVERANCE:

RED PERSEVERING

You maintain the same course of action despite obstacles.

You are like a locomotive on a track. When you set your mind on something, look out. You’re not stopping until you arrive. Persistence is the name of the game for you – you keep at it until things work the way they supposed to.

Stamina and endurance are words that also come to mind. You aren’t afraid of hard work. In fact, you thrive in it. While others are growing weary, you’re getting your second wind. You just keep going. In some situations, others might see you as stubborn, but that’s okay most of the time.

Your ability to stay on track and keep working is simply a mystery to those who give up at the first sign of adversity. You’re unrelenting. You stay in the game. You relish the satisfaction that follows overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds. (Corestrength.com/Discover/Strengths/Perseverance).

As a RED, it is important for me to see perseverance as a way to get things done.  My temptation as a RED is to change course and try something different rather than pushing through.  Resolutions require perseverance so I must connect the dots between the strength and my goal.

Each MVS will need to recognize their own temptations to stop persevering.  They will also need to connect the dots between their MVS and the strength of perseverance.  You can either do this intuitively or go to your discover reports under strengths and click on the strength PERSEVERENCE to get the description and how to connect the dots.  Perseverance is a strength that can be used by every MVS to accomplish their motivation.

I would encourage you to make meaningful resolutions and not be afraid of failure in 2020.  Take the following steps:

1. Evaluate your life in prayer and listen to the Holy Spirit about what needs to be changed in your life this year.

2. Understand the need for perseverance as a strength that will be needed to make a meaningful change in your life and know where perseverance is on your diamond.

3. Connect the dots between your Motivation (MVS) and PERSEVERANCE.

4. Name the temptation that will come to not persevere because of your MVS. Don’t give up!

Perseverance is a trait celebrated in disciples of Christ that finish well.  Romans 5:3 says, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance.”  2 Thessalonians 1:4 teaches us, “Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecution and trials you are enduring.”  Perseverance is prayed for by the Apostle Paul, “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance” (2 Thes 3:5).  James 1:4 casts a vision of what the strength perseverance can do for us, “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”