New Year's Resolution Solution
Happy New Year to all of you!
Raise your hand if you’ve spent the waning days of December crafting a list of New Year’s Resolutions. Raise your hand if they were done by February.
Let me start by saying if the resolution process is working for you…Keep doing what you do. I’m glad it works for you. But fact is 9 out of every 10 resolutions aren’t kept.
Getting started is never the issue. The calendar flips to January 1 and there’s increased vigor to be better and make lasting changes. But attention span and focus tends to wane over time. It becomes complicated and frustrating and eventually you don’t remember what your resolutions were.
Hope is not lost here’s a way you can still make an impact in 2021.
For the last few years I have not had any goals or any resolutions. I utilize Jon Gordon’s One Word Challenge. Basically you choose ONE WORD for the entire year. That specific word acts as the beacon of light guiding your decision making. It promotes more focus, and it feels like it fosters a higher level of commitment. It also makes it more likely you will succeed. It’s simple, effective, and purposeful.
If you carefully pick your word you will see so many areas of your life that it will touch. For example, last year my word was purpose. I was struggling to find motivation in my daily full-time job. I wanted to start my health coaching and Whole30 business. Purpose was intertwined in all of that from day 1. I got a bracelet engraved with the word and wore it most of the year to remind me that I wanted to find my purpose in EVERYTHING I did. My purpose expanded. I added Beautycounter and sending the message about safer, cleaner, products to my repertoire. I also opted to become an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach - all part of my mission to make my own ripple effect in this world.
When I come up with my word every year it’s a process. I don’t sit down and come up with it on New Year’s Eve as the year winds down. It takes weeks for me to figure it out. I kind of do a brain dump with words and areas of life on my mind. I reflect on the past year first but eventually the word chooses me. Once that happens I keep the word front- and-center like I did with the bracelet. You can make a screen saver for your computer or phone, make a poster, or note on your whiteboard. Keep it in the forefront of your mind and your life.
This year my word is change. Some of the change is obvious. New job, new setting, new business. But it’s not just about changes for me. It’s about the changes I hope to help others make. This word will inspire me all year long. It won’t go away or be tied up in a streak.
One word will impact your life in a more meaningful way. Give it a try!