This is the time of year when we are all getting excited -- and stressed out -- because the holiday season is here. We are buying gifts, going to holiday parties, making our homes festive, closing out fundraising campaigns...and beginning to think about the new year both personally and professionally. The thought of a new year, a new start exhilarates us. All the undesirable experiences of 2008 can now be put aside and replaced with positive thoughts of 2009. Some of us look forward to it because it is fresh and new and some of us have had a really trying year so we're desperate to start over. It's like when we were kids and we were playing with friends. Maybe we lost a game and we refused to accept it so we said, "Do over, do over." There was that innocence of childhood where the rules didn't bind us. There was nothing that said we couldn't do that over right then and there. And most of the time, we were able to convince our friends to do it over...except for those friends who wanted bragging rights. No luck there...
So naturally, the new year is coming, we want change, so we make our list of New Year's resolutions. It's a tradition and a great one. So why is it that after a couple of months, our resolutions fall to the way side, we can't even find our list, our resolutions slowly but surely become a distant memory. What is the #1 resolution? Going to the gym and getting fit. Year round members are now surprised that they have to wait in line for the treadmill. Who are these people and where did they come from? Until about March, and things return to normal.
After years of doing the same thing, making lists and not following through, I decided to change my strategy. The concept of a list of ways to make my life better was a good practice. I realized, however, that I treated it as a tradition, as a discrete task. So once the list was made, I was done. I had done my good deed to myself for the new year. Mentally, I invested in making the list but not in seeing the list through. So I switched gears. I began making a list of "goals." It may seem like semantics, but it made a difference to me. This is a list that I add to throughout the year as I learn things about myself; I usually update it several times per year. Sometimes I am inspired by someone else and other times I am determined to not make the same mistake twice. Although my list evolves throughout the year, I always begin the new year with a list of goals to work toward.
This form of goal setting is what works for me. Let's regain that innocence of childhood and not wait until the new year is coming to have the attitude of "Do over." Self-reflect throughout the year and make your goals throughout the year. Make it a habit, a way of life. Determine the things you want to "do over" or simply do better or begin doing in your life.
Here are two of my goals for the new year (so you can keep me accountable):
- Deepen relationships with family and friends. How well do you know your aunts and cousins? Yes, you are related, but what do you really know about them personally? What is your closest friend's favorite color? Sounds like a silly question you would ask the boy (or girl) in high school you had a crush on, but do you know the answer?
- Think more outside the box and consider [what seems to be] the impossible or unattainable. Look at the companies and professionals today who are thriving. Look at the technological advancements. Look at our new president-elect. The one thing that all of these examples have in common is the ability to think outside the box and challenge the existing platforms.
Best of luck for the new year! Be encouraged.
You are so right! It wasn't until I started doing workng as a consultant and was involved with different projects, timelines, workhours, budgets, resource allocation and setting milestones that I realized how I thrive on goal-setting.
Like a project we have to figure out our objective and work our way backward by asking ourseles questions. We also need to be specific, set obtainable and measurable points along the way to track our progress. We also need to reward ourselves along the way and to acknowledge each hurdle and obstacle we have mastered.
Write it all down, set up some dates to check-in and make sure you are on track and don't worry about pushing the goal date out what matters staying on track until the end.
Have fun while doing what you need and want to do, life is too short to not have fun along the way and above all no regrets!
I think we need to change those bad habits as soon as we know that these doesn't cause any good to us and don't need to wait for New Years Day to come. Anyway, Thank You for the post. I love to read interesting post that has knowledge to impart. I hope to read more articles from you and in return I will post also my articles in the forum so that others can benefit from it. Keep up the good work!
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New Years Resolutions is some what a good thing also because you get to change those bad attitudes you had within the year if you stick with your vow. Great post and I look forward for the next.