Where did all the resolutions go?

Just one month into the new year, and if you're like me, you probably are not yet one-twelfth of the way through with achieving your goals for 2006. In fact, I wonder how many 'resolutions' are still standing on January 31st?

I've read it and you've read it I'm sure. The key to any long-term or grand scale goal achieving is moving ahead in small, consistent increments. The Japanese call that ﾒKaizenﾓ.

There is also a wonderful Japanese expression for the ﾒfast-out-of-the- starting-blocks-but-no-finishﾓ style of action which describes so many of our self-improvement efforts: ﾒMikka Bouzu.ﾓ This literally means ﾒThree day skinhead,ﾓ but really refers to the hairstyle (not-hair style?) of temple monks. I imagine many a repentant person has knocked on the temple gates with burning enthusiasm, just to see that feeling fade in less than a week.

I suppose it is a commentary on those well-intentioned souls (all of us?) whose best intentions last but a few days. My Ab-flex (remember those?) went from being used (for about three days, exactly) to a rack to dry clothes on in less than a month. I was happy to finally give it away to a friend, I believe at around New Year's resolution time. I wonder if he is drying towls on it yet, or tried to sell it on ebay.

The point is that it is very easy to let yourself go back to your old, unhelpful habits. How do you stay on track? Here are my top five suggestions:

・Keep your goals where you can see them! (We all know this, butﾉ)
・Tell people about what you are trying to do (if you choose carefully, those around you can be your best supporters)
・Get a 'goals coach' or accountability coach to help you stay honest
・Send yourself emails to get yourself fired up. (You don't need any fancy autoresponder, just schedule your email delivery for the future)
・Small steps, small rewards (again, we know this, right?) Finishing a small goal on the way to a bigger one can keep us motivated. You know the best way to eat an elephant, don't you? One bite at a time!