3 Resolutions Worth Making in 2024
One hundred million Americans make New Year's resolutions. Eighty percent don't keep them. Thirty-five percent don't even keep them through the end of January!
I believe the majority of resolutions, no matter how noble the intention, are broken and soon forgotten because the reason for making them is not compelling enough to keep them, and because it will take too long for desired results to materialize. So why bother?
My first year of college at an all-girls university, my roommate roped me into taking a Ballroom dancing class. At that time in my life I was terrified of making mistakes and took everything personally. You can imagine how horrified I was to learn that the final grade for the class would be based on an original choreographed dance in front of the entire class! I loved the class and wanted to pass, but I was terrified of making a fool of myself in front of everyone. After a couple of weeks with little sleep over the stress of the impending 'performance', I knew I had to make a change or it was going to be a miserably long semester! I really wanted to drop the class, but my roommate wouldn't hear of it. So one morning I resolved to simply work on becoming more confident about who I was. Period. I wanted to change the way I thought of myself, and I understood why it was so important. Being OK in my own skin would affect everything I did or could accomplish in the future. Making and keeping that resolution changed my life. In the short term, my roommate and I earned an "A" in the course - our final choreographed dance was so fun! We even dressed the part (I had to wear a mustache). But the long-term affects of working to keep that resolution have been nothing short of transformational. Anyone who knows me now would definitely NOT describe me as shy or timid - while maturity is part of the equation, I would not have overcome my fear without a compelling 'why'. I was making myself sick over fear and what might happen, and nothing would change without intentionality on my part.
Even if you know from past experience that you are typically in the 'not going to make it to the end of the month' group of resolvers, there is still time to re-think and re-commit to something important. Perhaps picking a resolution from this list could mean the beginning of your own transformation. It's about progress, not perfection. If you are a little better today than you were yesterday, that's called success!
THREE 'RESOLUTIONS' WORTH MAKING -
- Fill the half-full glass. Wean yourself from complaining about how bad things are - in your personal life AND in the office. Use the energy instead to look for the good and take action to change a situation for the better. You'll set an example, attract positive can-do people, and feel more empowered with every challenge put behind you. If circumstances are truly beyond your control, constantly harping about it won't do anything but make you hard to be around.
- Be a light. Nurture the hidden potential of someone else. Take the lead and become a champion for a fellow team member whose special talents are masked behind a facade that no one else has taken the trouble to uncover and allow to flourish. Or maybe you seek out the 'tough' patients instead of trying to avoid them. What can you do to leave them better than you found them?
- Eat the dang frog. Stop kidding yourself about the problem that remains unsolved, the decisions you are unable to make or the unproductive behaviors that keep you stuck in place. When we have unfinished tasks looming we become anxious and stressed out. By simply committing to see one thing to completion today, you'll remove the burden and even create intrinsic motivation to keep going and maybe even accomplish more! Take personal responsibility and work on putting pride aside so you can ask for and receive support and accountability from those around you.
Regardless of the change you promise yourself to make, remember, a resolution is a declaration to start. Keeping a resolution takes grit and perseverance in spite of challenges. You'll have the best chance of being in the 20% who sticks to it, if there is a convincing 'why', and no illusion that REAL transformation takes time.
Remember - progress... not perfection!