25 Days of Blogmas 2018, Day 6

New Year’s Resolutions

On the sixth day of Blogmas
my true love sent to me:
Day 6: New Years Resolutions
5 Favorite Things!!
Day 4: Stocking Stuffers
Day 3: Holiday Getaways
Day 2: All Things Advent
and a Posting Explaining to Thee

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Another year comes to an end and with it the pressure to make 2019 the year we finally check off New Year’s Resolutions as done.  The struggle is real. But does it have to be?

And what if I told you that only about 8% of the population actually succeeds when setting New Year’s Resolutions? What if I told you that managing to resolutions was no different than managing to any other goals in life? Goal setting involves perspective, the right mindset and agility. 

Perspective: Make those resolutions old school SMART and avoid being part of that astounding 92% fail rate. Choose specific goals that you can measure, that are achievable, realistic and time bound. Ask your self what it is that you are really wanting to accomplish. For example, is it that you want to quit smoking, exercise more, lose weight or is it that you want to get healthy? Be honest with yourself.

Mindset: Believe it or not, something about talking “New Year’s Resolutions” creates a little bit of stress and triggers negative, doubtful thinking. We come up with resolutions hoping that “this year will be the year.” With that kind of thinking, we’re already failing and we haven’t even begun.

Agility: You gotta be ready to stop and adjust your game plan if something isn’t working. Don’t be afraid to revamp your goals and align to what life is throwing out at you. Be flexible and ready to hit the reset button on those goals.

Let’s say you’re wanting to run a half-marathon in 3 months. You’ve got plenty of time and start training. You’re progressing nicely and super motivated. Then suddenly life happens: job has you traveling, it’s messing with your workouts, sleep and food schedule, etc.

Do you stop training and just show up race day, fingers crossed hoping that you can run the 13 miles? Nope. You stop, adjust your training and start again. 

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Frankly, I’m not a fan of New Year’s Resolutions. The word “resolution” seems so definitive, so final. The 80s called. They want their shoulder pads, excel spreadsheets and New Year’s Resolutions back.

I say dump that commercial, overused language, flip the switch and just be real. You have a bucket list; you have some goals you’d like to check off; you’re hitting the reset button on some aspect of your life.  So, why not just call it that?

I prefer the concept “bucket lists” and have so for many years. And you’re probably thinking that it’s a matter of semantics… you would be correct. However, those bucket lists don’t stress me out.

I have a long term bucket list and then annual ones that allow me to check off more items than not, year over year.  I keep things simple and I set myself up for success. At the end of each year, I reflect on what I was able to accomplish and am happy. 

The bottom line is that regardless of what you call it – goals are a necessary part of life and keep our motivation up. Setting goals keeps your eye on the process rather than the outcome. Resolutions…. not so much.

You have 365 days to create the life you want. What will you do in 2019 to make that happen? Drop me a comment or two, I love hearing from you!

Happy Holidays, Happy Blogmas!

(Pstt Don’t forget to subscribe so that you don’t miss any of my Blogmas stories)