To Make or Not to Make New Years Resolutions…

I have always been one to make New Years resolutions.  It is an annual ritual that I learned about at a very early age, implemented, and never really questioned why – It just seemed like a good idea.

Over the past few years I have heard many people say “I don’t do New Years resolutions because I work on stuff all year and not just in January” or “I don’t make them because I don’t keep them so why bother”.  In looking at this “New Years Resolution” thing in depth, I realized that I actually  view it as a personal and business benchmarking opportunity.  I looked up the word resolution in the online Merriam-Webster dictionary and found these definitions:

• the act or process of resolving
• the act of analyzing a complex notion into simpler ones
• the act of answering : solving
• the act of determining
• a formal expression of opinion, will, or intent…
• the process or capability of making distinguishable the individual parts of an object…

I highlighted those that really stuck a chord with me and thought deeply about the meaning of each and why I chose the New Year as the time for my resolutions.  I concluded that for me, it makes sense for many reasons…First – it is the beginning of my fiscal year for my business coaching practice, second – I have just completed December which is such an intense, almost surreal, time of connection with family, friends, colleagues and clients after which I need to get grounded and refocused, and third – because it is a formal expression of opinion, will, or intent  and a process that I truly enjoy.

As an executive coach, I work with business owners to create multiple benchmarks in reaching their goals.  Each client decides the “right” month or day to set the benchmark.  I encourage them to choose a day that is significant and will ensure they keep it at top of mind.  It is part of the coaching process…

1. Assess where you are now (making distinguishable the individual parts of an object)
2. Determine where you want to be (the act of determining)
3. Implement strategies and tools to support you in reaching your goal (analyzing a complex notion into simpler ones)