5 things you should do to prepare for the new year.

Futurist Chet W. Sisk

As someone who is always looking ahead to the new year, I know a thing or two about planning for the future. Some of you are making your New Year’s resolution list as we speak. Before you dive in to put your list together, let me offer some tips.

1. Resolutions don’t work very well. Making a declaration to not do something has a less than 50% chance of succeeding. It’s better to embrace a lifestyle of change as opposed to a hard and fast rule. Give yourself some grace.

2. Don’t be over-ambitious. Sometimes we make really lofty and ambitious goals which is almost a sure path to failure. Keep the vision high, but create steps along the way so you have smaller victories leading you to the big one.

3. Keep a journal. Monitor your path so that you can see your progress in real-time.

4. Get an accountability partner. You need someone, not to watch you like a spy, but to talk with you about the promises you made to yourself. Your accountability partner is there to be a real-time friendly reminder.

5. Create the vision. It’s easier to reach that idea you’re striving for in your New Year’s promise if you can visualize it first. You have to first see it, in order to be it.

I use these five steps in my own work as a Futurist. I think you’ll find that they are very effective tools to lead you into the immediate future with success.