The New Year is a time of reflection and renewal.  Resolution making and goal setting.

Did you know people who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to achieve their goals than people who don’t make resolutions?  Even with this resolve, only 8% of people achieve success.  Clearly it takes more than intention to create lasting change and achieve goals.

As the New Year begins, consider how your Enneagram type might be impacting your resolve.

Type 1: Do you give up too quickly if you cannot execute with consistent perfection?Setbacks are part of any change process. What you do after the setback is ultimately the measure of success. Resolve to keep going even when things get messy.

Type 2: How often do you abandon your goals (and dreams) to focus on others?  Remember this mantra: “pull down your mask before assisting others.”  Resolve to be a little selfish this year.  When you take care of yourself you will have the strength and clarity needed to make good decisions about how you will support others.

Type 3: Do new ways of doing things quickly feel cumbersome, impractical and inefficient?  Of course they do! Change takes time to become routine. Resolve to be patient and take the long-view. The benefits you wish to achieve will come over time.

Type 4: Do your efforts feel empty or meaningless?  A goal is reached by taking a lot of small steps. Experiencing the significance and meaning of your efforts comes over time. Resolve to celebrate forward motion and incremental improvement.

Type 5: Do you choose goals that further isolate you from people? Change is hard. You can learn a lot from asking others how they found success. Resolve to reach out to colleagues, friends and family.

Type 6: Does a fear of unforeseen consequences prevent you from trying something new? If so, flip it around. What are the consequences of not doing things differently?  Resolve to trust the process and find out.

Type 7: Remember that resolution you made last week? Has something more interesting already grabbed your attention? Resolve to stop making excuses and stick with it until you get ‘er done.

Type 8: Not as easy as you thought it would be?  Change makes everyone feel a little vulnerable. We are learning a new way of doing things. Resolve to ask for help.

Type 9: Are you getting caught up in the planning and not executing? Anticipating what you need to do to successfully develop a new habit or create a change is excellent. But is analysis paralysis setting in?  Resolve to just do it.

Sending wishes for resolution success now and throughout the year ahead.