When it comes to New Year’s Resolutions, only 72% of people continue to honour them after the first week. Six months in, that figure drops to 44.8%. By the end of the year, only 9.2% of people are actually successful in sticking to their resolutions.

Researchers at Dominican University in California have investigated the reason why some people are successful in maintaining their resolutions, while others are less so. The study found that those who write down their goals were 70% more likely to see them through than those who simply thought or talked about their resolutions. When it comes to achieving goals, the simple act of writing them down can increase the likelihood of realisation immensely. This rule is not limited to New Year’s Resolutions, but can be applied to any goal whether it’s personal or professional.

The physical act of writing has a distinct neurological impact on the brain. When we write things down, we increase the likelihood that the idea will become encoded into the hippocampus – the part of the brain associated with memory and learning. Moreover, as our brains are programmed to prioritise original ideas – through a neurological process known as the ‘generation effect’ – writing down our goals means that they become doubly important. In this act, the image of achieving the goal is activated again, meaning that the generation effect is twice triggered. All these factors – which are activated simply by writing – work hand in hand in programming the brain to maintain focus on that goal until it is completed.

In terms of goal realisation, rebel entrepreneurs have a structured and effective approach. The act of articulating goals through the written word strengthens this approach, and in doing this, the rebel entrepreneur reprograms their mind to make their personal and professional dreams a reality.