Rethinking Resolutions

The end of another year. I remember hearing people older than me talk about how the years go by more quickly the older you get. I can now attest to that fact - the years seemingly do just fly by now. The day to day demands of work, parenthood and school fill my time and I find myself surprised every 1st day of a new month when I realize another month, another season or another year has passed me by.

The year 2013 has ended and many of us welcome 2014 with open arms and an optimistic view. This is traditionally the time we create our list of resolutions. We've all done it... we create our list of things we'll do differently and better in the new year. Most of us stick with those changes for a week, maybe a month, before we settle back into the way we've always done things. Sure, sometimes a resolution will stick but it's often at the expense of some other part of our life.

The gym will be busier for a few weeks, we'll all eat healthier for a month and we'll all make sure we tell others we care about them more frequently through Valentine's Day. Then the resolutions will subside for most of us and we'll fall back into our routine.

We rarely treat resolutions like we do goals we set in the workplace and I think we should - it helps provide structure and opportunities for regular markers to judge progress. As you set your resolutions/goals, think about...

• Purpose - Why are you doing this? Is it to improve your life or are you doing it for others? Why is it valuable to YOU to set this resolution? What is the end goal?
• Who's involved? - Are you going to achieve this alone? Do you need assistance or support from others? Identify those who can/will support you and let them know you need their encouragement!
• Action steps - What are you actually going to DO? Write out a calendar, a list, a chart, stick figures with bubble thoughts... whatever you need to establish a set of action steps that will lead you to your goal.
• Progress updates - How and when will you measure your progress? Will someone else check in with you? Will you regularly reflect (in writing or by talking to someone) on your progress?
• Reward - Is there reward if the goal is accomplished? Or is the accomplishment reward enough? You know what will motivate you, so decide if a reward for achievement is needed and then do it!

Some of you are thinking "Wow, that's over-thinking it." If you have trouble setting detailed personal goals or if you aren't interested in highly-specific goals for the new year, I encourage you to re-frame your thinking about resolutions. Instead of a laundry list of extremely specific things you want to change that may only lead to disappointment (i.e. run a 5k in a specific time; write 15 professional blog posts; etc), generalize your resolutions by creating a mindset about how you'll approach the year. These might be less measurable than if you used the method above, but they are general enough that they can lead to positive, healthy choices in your life. Some examples:

• Pledge to work hard.
• Pledge to do the very best you are capable of doing.
• Pledge to choose your attitude.
• Pledge to choose your own approach to the balance of WORK and LIFE.
• Pledge to be realistic about your limitations and your potential.

However you think about resolutions or goals, make 2014 fantastic!

Let me know about your resolutions - find me on Twitter @pottscharlie or email pottscharlie@gmail.com