New Year’s Revolutions (Replay)

by | Jan 6, 2019 | Transition

This is the time of year when everyone is jumping on the New Year’s 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 are a few 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.
  1. 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.

Look at today’s date. While you are on this journey, obstacles will come. It’s inevitable! But here are some strategies to help you navigate them and build your resilience muscle.

  1.   Turn Your Stumbling Blocks Into Stepping Stones – Try to find some value in whatever obstacles you encounter.  Instead of lamenting, ask yourself, “how can I learn from this?” or  “what can I do differently next time? We all know the stories of how Walt Disney was turned down over 300 times before he got financing to create Disneyland. Or how Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. John Sinclair says, “Failure is a bruise, not a tattoo”. Life may throw you an unexpected turn and you may need to hit the pause button but whatever you do, don’t stop!  When you’re ready to get back on track, use that pain to fuel you. Take that energy and use to it persevere towards your goal. Be the resilient phoenix who rises from the ashes.
  2.  Remember your WHY – Another thing you can do to practice resilience it to remember your WHY. If you haven’t seen the Simon Sinek Ted Talk called “Start with Why”, be sure to Google it and check it out.  When things get tough on this journey, remember WHY you wanted this goal in the first place! Why is it important? What’s it going to do for you? How’s it going elevate you to the next level? What will your life look like if you don’t achieve it?
  3. Elevate & Motivate Your Damn Self. Mary Holloway says, “Resilience is knowing that YOU are the only one that has the power & responsibility to pick yourself up”.  Yes, we all need a supportive tribe, a community of people who love and believe in us but at the end of the day, your goal belongs to YOU. It’s no coincidence that your goal was placed on your heart – it’s your vision/purpose…no one else’s so you can’t always rely on others to be your cheerleader or to keep you on track.  Invest in yourself and work towards your goal, even when times are tough and you just want to cry or scream. Trust me, I’ve been there! This goes back to putting yourself first. It’s up to you to set boundaries, be diligent with your time, hold yourself accountable and get back on track if you fall short.

I love Robin Sharma’s quote, “Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life”.  As we enter another new year, make it revolutionary! Don’t let this be another year where you’re kicking yourself in the ass for not handling your business.  Make a radical commitment, create a revolutionary goal that’s going to make next year the best year of your life!