Measures of Success: What I Learned from Failing at New Year’s Resolutions Again

Hi, Rebecca here! Last year I wrote a blog about what I have learned from failing at New Year’s resolutions. This blog was written after a failed attempt to achieve a monthly goal for each month of 2020. I revised my goal writing process by making my goals more achievable and in 2021 was I able to complete a monthly goal for 11 out of the 12 months! 

Even though I only completed 92% of my goal, I am still thrilled by my progress with New Year’s resolutions. In fact, 2021 has proven to me that I am capable of setting year-long resolutions. The only month I missed was October, but I did not let this discourage me. I finished the year out strong by successfully completing both a November and a December goal. 

Let’s Talk About Success

In 2020 and 2021 I set the same New Year Goal for myself: complete 12 month-long goals. In 2020, I completed 4 out of 12. In 2021, I completed 11 out of 12. I consider 2020 a failure and 2021 a success even though I did not achieve the goal in either case. Why? 

• Relative Success – In 2021 I was able to complete 7 more months than in 2020. This is a 175% relative increase, and any increase over 100% sounds really good.
• Strong Start – I started off the year strong, completing the first 4 months with relative ease. This helped build my confidence going into May, the turning point where 2021 started to become a more successful goal-achieving year. 
• Strong End – Even though I was unable to complete a goal in October, I did finish out the year, and specifically ended December with a win!
• Plus or Minus 10% – We give ourselves ranges for achievability all the time. Credit scores are set up in ranges, a bullseye is bigger than the arrowhead, and people often say the phrase plus or minus 10%. Besides, I only missed my goal by 1. 
• Failed the Goal, Achieved the Purpose – The 12 monthly goals New Year’s resolution started because I did not think I was capable of working towards and achieving one singular goal from January 1 – December 31. By completing the month of December I have proved myself wrong. In fact, I have decided to write 2 year-long goals for 2022. 

2022 New Year’s Resolutions

1. My first New Year’s Resolution for 2022 is a professional goal. I plan to earn my Project Management Professional Certification, to move my career to the next level. This is way too large to be a monthly goal, so I have outlined a few steps I need to achieve along the way to successfully complete it:
   1. Apply – Completed
   2. Study – In Progress
   3. Schedule Exam – TBD
   4. Take & Pass Exam – TBD

With this goal, there is no plus or minus 10%. The only way I will consider this goal successfully achieved is by receiving my certification. However, by giving myself a few milestones, I can measure my progress throughout the year towards achieving this goal. This will help me stay motivated and allow me to acknowledge my success along the way.

2. My second New Year’s Resolution for 2022 is a personal goal. I’m jumping on the read more books bandwagon and setting out to read at least 15 books in 2022. Setting this number was difficult. I knew I wanted to read more in 2021, but I only read about 5 books in 2022. I do not want to consider 6 books a success. So, I looked back at my purpose and why I chose this goal. I think that reading is a great pass time that helps you learn new things and experience new ideas. I want to get back into reading and that means constantly reading. So, I wanted to make sure I was reading at least one book a month setting my minimum at 12. From last year, I also know I am capable of reading two books a month, even in the shortest month of the year! So, I could reasonably go as high as 24. I decided to set the bar low and go with 15 books for my 2022 goal.

Measuring Success

At the end of a goal, it is fairly easy to determine if it should be considered a success or a failure. While you are working towards that goal, the lines become a little unclear. Here are my tips for measuring success while I work towards a goal. 

Start with Measurable Goals – Read more books is rather vague. I suppose as a New Year’s Resolution it is implied to mean read more books than last year, but I still suggest being very clear with your goals. Include numbers where it makes sense and leave them out where it doesn’t.

Create Milestones – Tracking your progress against predetermined milestones is a great way to determine if you are on track to complete a goal. If you notice that you are not achieving milestones at the rate you want, see if you can adjust your habits or consider changing your goal. With a goal like reading 15 books in a year, you might create milestones by dividing both the number of books and the number of months by 3. So, in order to reach the goal of 15 books in a year, I know I need to average 5 books every four months. This gives me a smaller goal to work towards that seems less intimidating.

Know your Why – Always keep in mind why you set your goal in the first place. I did not set a goal of reading 15 books in a year just to read all 15 by the end of March and stop reading for the remainder of the year. I set this goal to encourage myself to constantly be reading. If you realize that your goal is not helping you achieve the intended benefit, don’t be afraid to change it!

What goals do you have for 2022? How do you measure the success of a goal you have set for yourself or your team? Let us know in the comments!