It seems like an eternity ago, doesn’t it? New Year’s Resolutions.- remember them? If you didn’t achieve them, or at least make progress toward them, you likely were missing the magic ingredient: EXCITEMENT! Right here and now I’ll explain that concept, why it is important, and how you can implement EXCITEMENT into your life to resurrect those resolutions.

Think about the times in your life when you accomplished something that you were truly proud of. You might look back on it now and wonder how you actually did it. Remember your first house? You couldn’t afford it! Now way, no how! No matter how many times you worked the calculator, you just couldn’t afford it. But, you did it anyway and here’s why: You were excited about buying your first house. That excitement powered you through.

Were you prepared for your first child? Nope (who is?) You didn’t know what you were doing, you were scared and confused, but it all worked out because you were excited to have a child.

You may have accomplished some huge project: a wedding, a charitable fundraiser, or a seemingly impossible work project. There were frustrating details to follow, not enough time or money, but you did it. You were excited about what you were doing, so you made it happen.

I encourage you to adapt that same strategy, of adding an element of excitement, to resurrect those resolutions. Professional sports teams understand this concept very well. They have the world’s best coaches, talented professional players, the best equipment and expensive and plush stadiums. So why in the world do they need cheerleaders, prize promotions and music during the game? They are all there to get the fans and the players excited! You should do the same thing.

There are several ways to do this. If you have kids, make them your cheerleaders. For example, every day that you are cigarette-free or make it to the gym, have them give you a cheer. The love and support that your cheerleaders send out in those cheers will give you the power and energy when you need it. Also, use the refrigerator as your scoreboard, posting your progress for all to see. You could even create a buddy system and ask friends if they want to accomplish the same resolution with you.

Excitement is the magic ingredient. We can best and most easily accomplish what we want in life if we add enough of it to our master recipe. So, look back at those resolutions and review them. Think about what makes you excited in life. Take those ideas and implement them into your resolution. Whether it’s a round of golf each time you do a major home improvement project or reading from a good book as a personal reward, that extra element of excitement could be all you need to stay the course.