Start rocking the new year right now!
Personally, I've never been into New Year's resolutions.
However, there's something natural about taking stock of our lives at the end of a calendar year and thinking about how the new year could be different. This is the spirit from which resolutions are born.
The trouble is that resolutions tend to be made in a vacuum. We think of something we don't like about our lives and we vow that this thing will be drastically different on January 1st. Then we wake up tired, groggy, and probably a little nauseous in the first hours of the new year and forget all about our vow. Some of us remember our vows and decide that the 2nd would be a great day to start because we'll have a full night of sleep.
We wake up on January 4th or 5th trying to remember our resolution or explaining to ourselves how much better it would be to start on Monday. After all, a new week, a fresh start to make a strong push will be the secret sauce to making the resolution stick... see you next year, resolutions.
The alternative to resolutions...
Change doesn't just happen because we want it to. That's where it begins but that's also where it ends unless we take further steps to make it happen. Wanting to take the dream vacation, even deciding to take the dream vacation doesn't make it happen. The dream vacation takes a vision of what the vacation will be like, a plan to make it happen, AND implementing the plan.
Envision a different future
What do you want your life to be like? How is that different than what your life is currently like? Although I've practiced annual planning for many years, I've recently begun life planning. This is a deep dive into personal values and goals. It's a great process that I highly recommend but it's also a bit like jumping off the high dive at your first swim lesson. If you're not afraid of drowning, see Living Forward for life planning guidance.
For those ready to make a change but not quite ready to plan the rest of their life, another great strategy is to take it in chucks. Think about where you want to be in 10 years, 5 years, 3 years, next year.
Depending on your life stage and planning habits, it may be easier to use a particular timeframe over another. If you're a sophomore in college, 3 years might be a good time frame. If you're new to the job market, 5 years might work well for you. If you're established in your career, 10 years might be the right time frame. If nothing works, use next year. The key is to pick a time in the future, at least one year out, that you can envision.
Ask yourself questions like:
- Where do I want to be in my career in __ years?
- What do I want my important relationships to be like in __ years?
- Where do I want to be living in __ years?
For some, it's hard to get started. If you can't think of what you want your life to be like, think of what you don't want it to be like. For example: I don't know where I want to be working a year from now but I know I don't want to be at my current job. This can be turned around into: I will be working a different job a year from now. More specificity is better but don't let the lack of specificity stop you from making goals to change what you don't like about your current circumstances.
For others, it's hard to stop. You have so many things you'd like to change or you just see your future so clearly that there's an unstoppable flow of details. That's okay. We can always prioritize and narrow the focus to the most important steps or the next step in the journey.
Don't get discouraged!
This can be hard if you've never done it before. It's so worth it to get help from a trusted friend, a counselor, a life coach. Don't stay in a place you don't like when you could move forward. Get support!
Once the future is clear, we're ready to set goals!
Jump in now to rock your new year!
This is the time! You want to hit the new year running which means setting goals and making a plan during the last days of the current year.