So, how are those resolutions going today, halfway into January? Are you pressing forward? Making progress? Redoubling your effort? Or maybe you simply can’t remember where you put the list.

Whatever the case, we need to remember that setting those goals — making those resolutions — is usually the easiest part of the exercise. The hard part is doing the work it takes to move toward the finish line. Just one step at a time. That’s how any goal is reached.

Of course, you might consider HOW you came up with your list of resolutions in the first place. What was your intention? There are a lot of goals we would like to reach, but what is realistic for who we are and what resources we have and, by the way, what can we really accomplish in 12 months?

Michael Hyatt, a New York Times best selling author and leadership coach, suggests in his article “How Not to Make New Year’s Resolutions” that success comes by making our resolutions the right way and avoiding self-sabotage.

About 150 million Americans make New Year’s resolutions every year. That’s a lot of disappointed people. A quarter of those people will abandon their resolutions in just a week. Fewer than half will still be on track by summer. Ultimately, only 8 percent will be successful. But don’t think about the percentages. Think about all those individuals. That means by this time next year about 138 million of us will still have the weight we wanted to shed, the debt we pledged to pay down, and the bad habits we hoped to put behind us. Maybe you’ll be one of them. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way.

Michael Hyatt

Hyatt lists 10 ways we can sabotage our own resolutions:

1. Doubt success is possible.
2. Learn nothing from the past.
3. Establish conflicting goals.
4. Stay inside your comfort zone.
5. Avoid deadlines.
6. Set uninspiring goals.
7. Stay squishy.
8. Go broad.
9. Don’t worry about your motivation.
10. Stay satisfied with the status quo.

I would encourage you to read the entire article to see his explanation for each of those 10 ways we ruin our own resolutions. Click here for the entire article.

Number 9 on Hyatt’s list gives me pause. WHY am I wanting to achieve this goal? What is my intention, my motivation? Another question might be, “Who am I trying to please?” It’s a lot to consider.

What if you only made one life-altering, personally challenging goal to accomplish by the end of this year? How would you feel this Christmas?