New Year’s Revolutions-Part One

by | Dec 24, 2017 | Career Change, Empty Nest, Relationships, Relocation, Transition

This is the time of year when everyone is jumping on the New Years resolution bandwagon. The Huffington Post rated the top 5 New Year’s resolutions are:

  1. Save more, spend less
  2. Spend more time with family & friends
  3. Lose Weight
  4. Live a healthier lifestyle
  5. Enjoy life to the fullest (good old carpe diem)

Do any of these sound familiar? Ok … moment of truth … have you made any of these resolutions for multiple years? Trust and believe, you are not alone. Drinking 8 glasses of water a day was one of my resolutions for at least 4 or 5 years.

I want to challenge you to get rid of resolutions. Instead, start a REVOLUTION. By revolution, I mean make a radical commitment to do something that’s going to make the new year different than any of those other years where you’ve recycled your new year’s resolution.

Here’s a couple of ways to start your own New Year’s Revolution:

  1. Find & focus on ONE revolutionary goal – Don’t overwhelm yourself with a long, laundry list & try to do EVERYTHING (gym every day, going vegan, save money, get a promotion, travel to 10 cities). Don’t put that kind of pressure on yourself. When you have too many things you’re focused on, you lose momentum quickly because your attention is all over the place. Instead, laser focus onto ONE GOAL that you can realistically accomplish this year. There is nothing wrong with thinking big but focus on one, core objective for the year. Break it down into smaller baby steps if you need to but be sure to take action every single day.
  2. Be honest with yourself: How badly do you want it? When you’re deciding what you want to accomplish this year, be sure to ask yourself if it’s a wish or a want. A wish is just a passing thought but a want is something you’re willing to execute. Personally, I wish that I could sing well….but the way my voice is set up “happy birthday” is the only thing you’ll ever hear me sing out loud. I am not willing to take voice lessons, do daily vocal exercises, learn to read music or anything else required to be a good singer. Therefore, this is just a wish for me, not a true, genuine want. Make sure that your goal is something that you really want, something you’re passionate about, something that scares you a little, something that is going to change the trajectory of your life.
  3. Honor Your Promise To Yourself. Throughout this year, as you’re working towards your revolutionary goal, remember that this goal is a promise to yourself.

In the same way we make promises to everyone else, we have to permit ourselves to keep that promise. Promise yourself that this year will NOT be like the others with broken resolutions and regret and disappointment. Keeping your promises to yourself is part of self-care and if you don’t take care of yourself, who will? Make it non-negotiable! LOVE YOURSELF ENOUGH to honor your promise to yourself.

Stay tuned next time for Part II of New Year’s Revolutions…