New Year, New You, right?

When we pack away the decorations and turn the calendar to January, we want to believe that, in the shiny New Year ahead of us, we’ll be better and happier. In fact, according to recent research by Harris Interactive, women are more likely to make resolutions than men (74% vs. 58%). We resolve to lose weight, get a promotion or a new job, be more balanced, etc. Unfortunately, the same research indicates that only 14% of women actually succeed in following through on their good intentions.

What happens? Most of the time, women underestimate how much emotional energy they need to succeed. If you ask a hundred women why they quit working on a specific goal, most of the reasons will boil down to being emotionally worn out. Women give so much to so many, and we usually keep very little for ourselves. It one of the key ways we differ from men.

Maybe you’re already noticing how all that January 1st determination has lost some of its sizzle. That’s typical, but unproductive. You can do better for yourself. Start by thinking practically and plan your success the same way you orchestrate your child’s birthday party or a departmental project. You anticipate what could go wrong and prepare in advance to handle it. You do it all the time for everyone else, both in and out of work, but probably don’t think to apply the same process to your own success. Here are Five Tips for by increasing your Victory Quotient (VQ) for success in ’09. Focus on one tip each week – better to do one a week than do all of them at the same time and get overwhelmed. Small, doable steps can take you further than big, hard to digest chunks.