It's that time of year again.  The pressure is on to renew ourselves.  Most of start out with the best of intentions, but very few of us actually follow through with any of our New Year's Resolutions.  One of the reasons resolutions are rarely successful is because they are not set for the right reasons.  Most New Year's Resolutions are made because we are experiencing guilt or shame over the fact that we are still doing something that we have sworn off a million times. 

Managing our own life takes a lot of planning and organizing, especially these days when most of us are playing multiple roles (mother, spouse, employee, house cleaner, taxi, etc.).  Life management could take a lesson from the business world.  And, why not? Big organizations have figured out how to manage multiple roles successfully, it only makes sense that we could use some of these techniques in our own lives.  How do they make it work? Successful organizations are designed to increase employee performance that is directly aligned with the companies values, which is usually described in the companies mission statement.  Now, I will say that most organizations value system is much more simpler than our individual value system.  A typical organization, has as its core value, making money.  We on, the other hand, typically have several values.  This does make identifying our values a little more complex, but once the values are identified, all we have to do is tie our goals to our values. 

Why is setting values-based goals so important? First, it keeps us from wasting our time on short-term goals that don't fit into the big picture.  Sure, losing a couple of dress sizes would be fantastic, but not at the cost of our health, creating huge expenses, increased irritability resulting in loss of quality relationships, etc.  If the goals we set are aligned with all of our values, then we don't get caught up in shortsighted goals that end up creating more problems and that take away from focusing on more worthy goals.  Second, goals that are aligned with our values are more likely to have naturally occurring reinforcers or rewards that will help us maintain the new changes in our behavior.  For example, if I value being a good role model for my children, spending quality time with my children, and being healthy, but I set up a goal to spend more time at the gym working out, I am likely to fail.  Why? Because the goal is not aligned with my values.  A more appropriate goal would be to increase the amount of physical activities I do with my children.  This goal is more likely to be successful and maintained because it is aligned with my values.  I get to engage in healthy activities, show my children how to maintain an active lifestyle, and I get to spend more quality time with my children.  There are also a lot of built in natural positive consequences to this goal, such as feeling better and having a better relationship with my children.

Many organizations have made the fatal mistake of spending a lot of time and money attempting to increase employee performance in areas that are not directly tied to the companies values.  We can and should learn from these mistakes.  Make sure that all of your goals are aligned with your values, so you don't make the same mistake.  This will increase your chances of success because your goals will be designed to take you in the direction of your core values. Take the time to identify your values in the following 10 areas before setting any personal goals:

*If you are having trouble identifying your values in these areas, try a little exercise where you close your eyes  and imagine that you are attending your own funeral, think about what you want to be said about you in each of these areas during your own eulogy. 

1. Marriage/Intimate Relationships
2. Parenting
3. Family Relationships
4. Friendships
5. Career
6. Education/Training/Personal Growth
7. Recreation
8. Spirituality
9. Citizenship
10. Health/Physical Well Being