New Year’s resolutions: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again now, I really HATE them.
Why? Because we tend to set ourselves up for failure. We may as well call them “New Year’s Failures”.
On January 1st we state our resolutions, listing all the things we plan to achieve during the next twelve months. We are certain that THIS YEAR will be DIFFERENT from every other year.
Our intentions are good yet for most of us, somewhere along the way we get side-tracked. Life Happens. And our resolutions take a back seat to other things.
Come December, we feel bad that we failed in our attempt. So we state, “THIS YEAR WILL BE DIFFERENT.”
And we try again.
It’s a vicious cycle; one that I normally don’t participate in since I know that I won’t stick to any resolutions.
Case in point: For years I’ve tried for abs of steel and for years the donut shop has won, despite my strategy of limiting my donut intake and increasing my workouts.
No, I’m not totally giving up donuts. That would be terrible and I’m convinced that there’s a way to incorporate donuts into my life while achieving abs of steel.
This year, though, I’m going to try a few resolutions again. Perhaps I’ve gained wisdom with age and this time I will be able to stick to my resolutions.
They may not seem like much to you, yet they are important to me.
Here we go; my resolutions for 2015:
Find a new phrase for “Yes, but…..”
This is my go-to phrase in conversations when discussing or brainstorming almost anything. It slips out without my even knowing it. In my mind I’m trying to be helpful and think of all the possible outcomes, what if it went this way, but that happened, etc. Apparently to others this is a negative phrase. Who knew? I definitely don’t mean it to be negative – it’s just me, thinking out loud.
Be more selfish.
This sounds odd yet it is necessary. I love to help others. So much so that I push my own work and needs aside. That means that my goals – and work – are almost an afterthought. And this is not good for my business, my productivity, and, ultimately, those I am trying to help. This does not mean I will not help others; it simply means that I must prioritize my work. And sometimes that means putting me first.
Step Out of My Comfort Zone
You may think this is easy for me. Let me assure you that it’s not always easy, even for me, to step outside of my comfort zone. It’s hard to do this because it means opening ourselves up for failure. Yet I plan to do that this year. It may be something as simple as signing up for a Hip-Hop class, or something more drastic. Who knows? But I will push my boundaries.
Finish What I’ve Started
This should be a no-brainer and it goes along with #2, being more selfish. Mid-2014 I signed up for an online self-study course with the goal to finish it during the year and I let work get in the way. Now this is moving to the front. I will finish this course.
There you have it; my resolutions for 2015. I will report back to you at the end of the year to see if I achieved all of them, or any of them.
And we’ll see how my abs of steel look. Not holding out any hope on that one.
Like Tami, I was terminated once (By my best friend, BTW – he is now on the board of the agency I lead, so I got him back – ha!), but you don’t have to be unemployed to learn something from this book. 
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