New Year’s Resolutions Are a Waste of Time

(Image by Mark Teasdale, Creative Commons.)

Welcome to 2015!  Don’t you love how a new year inspires you to do new things?  I do, so you know what?  I did not make ANY New Year’s Resolutions.  In fact, I think they are so last century that no one is anymore, lol!  Instead, I stated what I am leaving behind to 2014, and what I am opening up to/creating in 2015.

So, if you’re here, then you’ve probably noticed that I’ve changed up my website a wee-bit with a facelift.  No more hiding BEHIND the bull, it’s time to step out IN FRONT of it and help you do the same, starting right at the top!

Let’s shake up the new year with a wee bit of a different format to my blog, and see where it leads, shall we?  (And may my shake-up inspire you to your own!)

You should make a new year’s resolution.  You do it every year, right?  It’s just one of those things you are supposed to do, and THIS year, you will finally do it, right?  No matter that you haven’t accomplished any of your resolutions for the past 5 years, make that 25 years, this year is DIFFERENT!  And, it’s only January, the clock reset, so you can FINALLY get it done!

Come on!  Stop wasting your time.  Resolutions are so last century.

The main problem is resolutions are mis-named.  According to m-w.com, the definition of resolution is “the act of resolving something.”  Since when did telling your best friend “THIS YEAR I’m going to stick to my diet” resolve your problem?

NEVER!  Because, we’ve been doing this whole thing wrong.  We’ve been making statements with no effort to then DO something to turn that statement into an action.  Speaking a sentence or two out loud does not actually remedy the problem!  You have to to actually make a plan, execute the plan, and tweak the plan.  So, for 2015, stop making empty statements, and, instead, make actionable plans that roll up to what you want, and get the actions done!

Here are some ideas to help you make 2015 a year you can be proud of:

1. Close and Open.  If you’re going to make statements to the universe (or your best friend) say what you are letting go of, and what you are creating.
   

   (Image by Ferran Jordà on Creative Commons)

2. Write down a vision.  Think about those statements as “10,000 foot views” of what you want to accomplish.  That’s actually your vision.  Don’t leave it floating in your imagination.
3. Make your vision a reality.  To bring that vision out of your head, and into existing, write down the actions you have to take to realize your vision.  There are likely several actions, and there is undoubtedly a sequence.  Write all of this down.
4. Check in.  Saying it out loud, and writing it down are not enough.  Put your action list someplace you can look at it and review on a regular basis.  This will stop you from arriving in November and wondering where all the time went, and setting the same damn “resolution” next year.  I suggest you get a “check-in buddy” and ask them to see if you’ve gotten anything on your list done yet.  Don’t have any friends?  Don’t have any reliable friends?  Hire a coach!  (At the very least, they can help you get better friends…. ;-O )

Want a fun action sheet to write and track your visions this year?  Sign up here and I’ll send it to you! Get your 2015 into action!