What works when trying to change your life?

Want to know how to load the dice in your favor when you attempt to change your life?  DayTimers had Opinion Research Corporation do a fairly large study in December. The study covered in part what techniques did the people who had kept their previously made New Year's Resolutions use. The results were surprising:

When asked what helped them to be successful in keeping their New Year's resolutions, most respondents used a number of internal motivators, external support, and external aids to help them succeed. These included:

Internal Motivators

• 86% noted determination to make it, even when it got hard
• 76% made a commitment for the long haul
• 76% accepted setbacks and got back on track
• 71% found that visualization was an aid to success
• 59% rewarded themselves for success

External Support

• 57% told other people
• 39% asked for help and didn't do it alone
• 27% were accountable to others, i.e. friend, coach, dietician, therapist, support group

External Aides

• 44% set up reminders
• 40% created a step-by-step plan
• 38% wrote it down

What these numbers tell me is:

• Internal motivational techniques pay off better than external motivational techniques,
• You need to be both stubbornly determined (or if you prefer determinedly stubborn) and prepared to forgive yourself for failure,
• Being accountable to others doesn't work if you are not accountable to yourself.