WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES MIDNIGHT on December 31st masses who have gathered in Times Square to see the famous glittering ball drop will welcome 2016 with the sounds of fireworks, groggers, assorted other noisemaker s and of course the late Guy Lombardo and his Orchestra playing the timeless auld lang syne.
There will be couples saying “I Do” as the ball drops along with countless New Years’ baby’s that will be born. All over the world there will be celebrations galore each replete with their own special touch. No matter where you are at some point on the global clock it will be 2016. The start of a new potentially better or worse year.
What is the other New Years’ tradition held by so many? The New Years’ Resolution where we vow to do or not to do certain things that few will actually act upon. How resolute are your New Years’ resolutions and how do you make them work for you this year perhaps for the first time ever. Did you make these resolutions because this is what you do on this day or are you serious about keeping them?
How do you keep them? Instead of silly resolutions set goals for yourself that have clear outcomes, are indeed achievable for you, appropriate and measurable. Do not set unrealistic goals for yourself as that is self-defeating nor expect to meet your goals right away. You need to know specifically how and when we will know when we have reached our desired outcomes.
Take notice of your habits as to how they affect your ability to stick to the course you set to get to where you want to be. Start with eliminating just one harmful habit and replacing it with a healthy habit is a great starting point. Keep in mind that nearly 90% of our “normal” behavior is habit based.
Next step to reaching your goals (aka resolution) is to break up your final objective into manageable chunks that you start with one small action today Make your chunks at the beginning of your personal change process as simple and doable as possible. The first steps to making real change in your life are often the most challenging.
All of the above no matter how good it sounds will not work without a solid road map if you will to get you to your final destination. What other sensible routes can you take? Explore the choices you need to make in order to ensure you get “there.” The more choices you have (not too many as that may cause too much indecision) the more strength you add to your plans.
Take a deep look inside of yourself so you can bring to light the things that have held you back all this time. Consider internal and external reasons that have stopped your progress time after time. Work on your negative personality traits in addition to the environmental blocks that limit or prohibit you from succeeding.
Next step is to gather all the resources and tools you already have at your disposal. What resources are you lacking? Where can you obtain these resources from? Your most important resources are your skills (not just job wise), funds, friends, family and networking connections. Did somebody say LinkedIn?
Last but not least as they say is the importance of having a schedule that you can keep to. Give yourself some realistic deadlines to meet that you can actually meet with no trouble. Be sure to put into your schedule tasks that move you towards your goal. You can’t expect to change your life overnight but goal setting points you in the right direction. Be sure to put your goals into writing so you can continuously refer to them as you track your forward progress to them.
Start you New Year in the manner above as opposed to making resolutions you know you cannot or will not keep to. Time is not unlimited but if you make the time to start now you can see yourself traveling on a better more life satisfying road. How’s that for a way to start the new year?
Resolutions are made to be broken setting you on a never ending path to self-disappointment. Have resolve to follow a plan that has obtainable goals to it. The stronger your resolve to make change using a structured method the better you will emerge.
Good challenge, Joel. I wish you a happy, healthy & prosperous New Year. Stay safe as things seem to be heating up in the anti-semitism realm in New York.
Thank you, Sandy, for your comments and concern. New York is becoming a hotbed for anti-semitic attacks. From the way I dress it is quite obvious to all who see me that I am an Observant Jew. Happy New year to you as well.
Hi Ahndrea,
How are you? How is your husband feeling? Thank you for reading my post and of course your compliment. Are you making resolutions like most people or are you going to go a different route? Glad to be back in front of people like you.
Great post, Joel! It’s great to have you back!