New Year’s Resolutions - have a plan & succeed
I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season!
Have you ever set a New Year’s resolution that did not work out the way you wanted?
Of course! New Year’s resolutions are famous for not succeeding. But that is not a reason to give up or not to try in the first place.
You CAN do it! Here’s how: Have a plan.
Rather than simply repeating a past, unsuccessful strategy or picking a random, vague resolution (i.e. lose weight, get fit…), Develop a plan based on knowledge about you and what you want to achieve.
This will result in you gaining an understanding of what is truly important and what success looks like. This is the surest path to success.
One of the most powerful ways to gain this knowledge is journaling (one of my favorite tools in the tool box). Simply jot down a few thoughts about the: what, why and how of your resolution. This strategy holds for both new and familiar resolutions.
You will likely be surprised by how much you can learn: Is it the right resolution? Do you have everything you need? What challenges can you anticipate or what could you do differently next time?
As an example I'll share my experience with a past resolution. Because my exercise, nutrition & rest / recovery behaviors are fairly set (for now), my resolutions have focused on being a better coach and business operator.
Specifically, one of my resolutions has been to get a quality newsletter published on a consistent and timely basis. (Clearly this has not happened...)
So here is a short list of questions I developed during my journaling session:
1) Is this the right resolution? Yes: I have come to learn that more people than I had ever imagined were reading and benefiting from my newsletter. (Thank you to all who had shared encouragement, I was listening. But I was unaware of the scope of the reach of this newsletter.)
2) Am I prepared to start? Yes & no. Yes: I have all the necessary tools to write a newsletter. And, No: I lack a coherent plan with a definition of success. (other than just publishing content about health and wellness... too vague)
3) Am I prepared to continue for the long term? No: My client schedule is too busy! THANK YOU!!! But, I need a new strategy for attaining consistency. (I will focus on compact and efficient content creation, writing & editing.... yeah! shorter newsletters)
4) Is the scope of the resolution right? No: I initially tried to publish weekly... way too ambitious. Then I tried twice a month... still too much (for now, once a month feels right).
Wow, I discovered a lot of stuff I can change for my next go at this. So, the process of looking at why I did not succeed the first time and how I might be able to change my approach revealed a TON of useful info.
Based on my answers my plan should include strategies around 1) time management, 2) prioritizing maximally relevant content and 3) reducing the overall volume of content and focus on quality.
And this is just the start, the questions above are only a small sample of examples. There are countless other questions that might help.
Some journaling questions that specifically address health and wellness could include:
1) What areas of wellness (strength, stamina, disease prevention…) are most important to me? Why?
2) What do I enjoy about exercise? What do I dislike about exercise?
3) What healthy, non processed foods do I like the most? The least?
4) Do I have the necessary kitchen tools and food storage to cook at home? Do I even like to cook?
5) Am I getting enough sleep? Do I feel rested in the mornings?
The process of journaling works for both familiar resolutions and brand new ones. You can review your past efforts and find out why something did not work OR you can use the same strategy to anticipate potential pitfalls of a new resolution.
As you go through this process of discovery your strategy for success will further develop and evolve. And, keep in mind, that behavior change is “a work in progress”. What you try at first will be different from where you end up in 6 months. And, where you are at 6 months will be different from where you are in a year.
Here’s my New Year's resolution for 2023:
I will publish a high quality wellness newsletter once per month. It will address specific topics, relevant to my readers, in an intentional way.
Now it’s your turn, go for it! Make a resolution! Be prepared for challenges, setbacks and mistakes. These are all good things! Yes, good things. Challenges make you stronger. Setbacks and mistakes make you smarter!
Positive behavior change is hard but worth it.
Be patient, be determined.
I would love to hear about your resolution OR if you have any questions please reach out:
Be well, George
